The Halfling
by wiffyscoob
Summary: A certain blonde slayer meets a redheaded magickal creature with an impish grin.
1. Lost

Disclaimer: Borrowed bits of elf legend from everywhere: Tolkien, Elf Quest, Dungeons and Dragons, various cultural mythologies to make up my own elf world. I own none of that. BTVS is, of course, all Joss'. I only own non-BTVS characters.

A/N: Takes place during Season 4, right after Hush. Differences in Canon: Jenny Calender never died. She and Giles broke up, but she remains in Sunnydale. In this story, she is from a Jewish redheaded Irish gypsy clan, otherwise known as "Travellers". They put the curse on Angel. Jenny and Tara were able to restore the curse. Giles and Jenny broke up in season 3. Other than that, things were pretty much the same as in canon thru season 4. Tara takes Willow's place as Buffy's best friend, but comes out in high school.

// flashbacks //

Summary: A certain blonde Slayer meets a redheaded magickal creature with an impish grin.

The redheaded creature's hand reached up in an effort to touch the deep velvet blanket night sky dotted with twinkling bright lights commonly known as stars.

The creature missed the Neverending Realms with an intensity that sometimes frightened her. The Neverending Realms was a very large place, but it was alive with magick and wondrous creatures. The creature's home in the Neverending Realms was a forest simply called the Glen. It was said that the Glen was a being unto itself; sentient and aware. The redheaded creature felt this to be true. Spending long periods in the Glen alone, the animal and tree spirits began to appear to her. At first, they were skittish, and she would only see them for a few seconds before they would dart away. Then, the animals and the tree spirits gradually grew to trust her. She eventually began having long conversations with them about things like the intricate relationship between nature and magic. They taught her, above all, respect and reverence for life. Animal bonding with one specific animal was expected, and was a natural ability in her world. The creature, however, was able to form lesser bonds with many other animals as well; the animals becoming close and dear friends, especially the Golden Dragons who lived in the Blue Mountains. One Golden Dragon in particular was her favorite to ride on into battle. Although the creature was more comfortable using her magickal or healing abilities, she was more than capable of being a noble warrior, proficient in bow and arrow. She had not seen many battles, but when she had, she had always served well, and was admired.

The creature especially missed her friend Pan, who was a very mischievous prankster spirit who inhabited the mountain pastures where human shepherds would tend their flocks. As humans were forbidden in the Glen, the creature either had to secretly leave into one of the near-by human lands to see her friend and his musical pipe, or, hope to see him by chance during one of his infrequent trips into the Glen. King Teyrnon did not like him, and he was forbidden from entering the Glen, but the Queen, Rhiannon, would grant access, often leading to fights between the royal couple. Wherever, and whenever, the creature would encounter him, Pan would prove to be fun and delightful. He could always make her laugh, and brighten even the darkest day.

Her father, Fionn, was a great warrior and taught her everything she needed to know for the Hunt and Battle, as well as imparting great wisdom upon her. The Glen had a sacred place filled with ancient texts and scrolls that he encouraged her to read. The young creature loved this most of all. She would go to this sacred place time and time again. It seemed to call to her. When she was there, she felt safe and warm and comfortable.

Her father was proud of her ability to learn in any situation. Although her father could be strict, he was nevertheless kind and gentle with her; forever offering support in whatever she chose to do. Fionn would tell her wonderful stories of her mother, who had been forced to leave the Glen because she was human. Her mother had been in the Glen in secret. She came from another Time and another Place of which the Halfling knew little about. Once the high elves discovered her existence, her mother was banished. Fionn had wanted to leave with her, but she convinced him to stay to tend to the young redheaded Halfling. Fionn finally relented, promising that someday they would be together once again.

The Halfling knew her human mother was a gifted mage, and that her name was Jenny. Her redheaded features came from Jenny's side. Fionn was extremely fair and almost androgynous in appearance, like most elves. The Halfling's appearance was an interesting combination between the two. Her elfin characteristics of pointed ears and four toes on each foot contrasted with her more obvious human female features, especially her red hair. But her short haircut and impish grin sometimes lent to the androgyny of her Father's clan.

She sometimes wondered about her mother, and whether she would ever see her again. She also wondered about her human half. While Halflings were allowed in the Glen, no humans were, and human contact was forbidden. The Elders were the only ones allowed this for diplomatic purposes in dealing with the other lands in the Realms, and their interaction was never discussed. The redheaded creature knew other Halflings, but they were few and far between. They had all been sent away to distant elfin clans before the age of maturity out of concern for their safety due to the Glen's close proximity to the Drow Clan. The redheaded Halfling was an exception, making it past the age of maturity, and participating actively in elfin society on all levels as Warrior, Mage, Healer, and an Elfin Scribe. Her high intelligence afforded her the right to transcribe and relay all of the treasured scrolls and texts. However, the Halfling had never found her Lifemate. Elves, by nature, were monogamous, regardless of whether an elf was with a member of the opposite sex or the same sex; it made no difference. Before Joining with a Lifemate, a few would have a lovemate sometime during their lives. Most, however, did not, choosing to wait for their Lifemate. The Halfling would wonder who hers was, whether it was an elf or a human. She would know, though, through the moment of Awareness between herself and her Lifemate. It was said that when their eyes met, that they would involuntarily surrender their soul name to the other. No one, but her parents knew her soul name. It safeguarded an elf's innermost feelings and thoughts. To have a Lifemate was an important part of her elfin heritage that she had someday hoped to claim.

But things change.

The Drow elfin clan had grown stronger, and had launched a war with all of the elfin clans of the Neverending Realms. The Drow considered the war to be a "Cleansing" Their main objective was to get rid of the taint of the Halflings whom they called "Mongrel half-breeds". The war had been vicious, with heavy losses on both sides. There had been horrific stories about the torture and killings of Halflings by the Drow. Fionn, fearing for his daughter's safety, had sent the Halfling through a Time Portal. It was the same Portal used for her mother, and only the Supreme Elder knew of its existence. In gratitude to the Great Warrior Fionn, the Supreme Elder had agreed to let the Halfling pass through the Portal. The Halfling had begged and begged her father to stay, but he would not relent.

It was a cool fall evening as she laid on her bedroll placed on the soft grass. The gentle breeze was more like a whisper through the trees, causing her to wonder if the nymphs lived in this land as well.

The Halfling sat up, and reached into her soft leather pack. Her face lit up as she found the desired object: a small wooden flute. It had been a gift from Pan upon noticing the Halfling's exuberance when Pan himself would play his own pipe. Upon giving her a wink, Pan had declared that even an elf could learn such a simple instrument. She had taken the instrument in great wonder, seeking Pan out as often as possible to learn how to play her prized instrument. Before Fionn had forced her to leave, she had become quite good, even playing once for her father. After her performance, Fionn took her to task about seeing Pan, but the Halfling could tell that her father was not terribly angry with her, just simply worried about her association with a spirit banned from the Glen by the King. The Halfling had argued in defense of her friend, relating his various acts of kindness towards her, as well as the knowledge he provided her. At last, Fionn relented, as he often did concerning his daughter, telling her that she may visit him in his homeland, as long as she kept out of sight of the human shepherds.

Having retrieved the wooden instrument, the Halfling laid back down upon her bedroll, resting her head upon her pack. The night was chilly, and although her elfin made clothes kept her warm, she knew she would need her cloak soon. As the Halfling watched the unfamiliar constellations, she began to play a simple melody; one which reminded her of the many wonderful times spent with her friend, and one which made her feel not so alone.

........

Buffy was sooo not in the mood to patrol in the forest on the outskirts of Sunnydale, but her best friend Tara persisted in declaring the need to do so.

The Slayer had learned a long time ago not to question her friend when Tara went into her 'witch-y mode', as Buffy liked to call it. The Slayer tried to remind herself of this as she and the Wiccan scoured the woods. Her nighttime plans certainly did not include this. As they walked, Buffy's thoughts drifted to earlier in the evening.

// The Slayer returned to the dorm after a short patrol only covering the campus. Buffy had had a Final that day, and was more than ready for bed. She counted herself fortunate that vampire and demon activity was so low. 'Only one bloodsucker for me! Woo hoo!' was the thought that had crossed her mind.

Coming up the stairs, she could smell Tara's distinctive incense fragrance as it wafted through the air, signaling Buffy that the Wiccan was probably meditating at the moment. This lead Buffy to hope the Hall Director didn't make an appearance tonight. While the RA held a laissez faire attitude, the Hall Director didn't. Tara had fretted about the scent, but Buffy had eventually convinced her not to. Worry over whether you would receive warnings from the Hall Director was the least of Buffy's problems. Tara, however, was at heart still the same bashful girl Buffy had met her first day at Sunnydale High, not wanting to call attention to herself in any way. The tall blonde had come a long ways from the day she realized that things that go bump in the night were real. Buffy was proud of how far her friend had come; how much more self-assured she had become in every aspect of her life. The wallflower had blossomed into a formidable witch, as well as a confidant young woman not afraid to socialize at a party, and comfortable enough to express her own opinions in class. Buffy surmised that Tara would always be concerned about doing the right thing. Not one for towing the line herself, Buffy supposed Tara's predilection for this sort of thing helped to keep the Slayer in line. Tara was the steadying, calming influence Buffy needed in her often turbulent young life.

As Buffy came upon their room, she hesitated, wondering if her friend was still deep in her trance. Glancing down, Buffy noticed light showing underneath the door. The Slayer breathed a sigh of relief, really not wanting to hang out in the lounge while waiting for Tara to finish her meditation. Opening the door, she saw Tara sitting cross legged on her bed, seemingly deep in thought. As Buffy entered the dorm room, the young Wiccan gave her head a quick shake before addressing the blonde Slayer. "Buffy, hey, how was patrol?"

Buffy placed her keys on her desk, and shrugged out of her leather jacket, tossing it haphazardly onto her desk chair. "Oh, you know, same o' same o'." She flopped down onto her soft bed, feeling the exhaustion start to kick in. The Slayer turned her body on her side to fully face her best friend. "You want to tell me what has you so deep in thought?"

Tara softly smiled. "That obvious, huh?"

"Tara, we've been best friends for 4 years. I can tell when my favorite Wiccan has something on her mind. So spill." Before Tara could answer, Buffy suddenly, excitably rose to a sitting position on her bed, with her legs dangling off the side. "Ooh! Did ya meet a new girl? Maybe at that new Wiccan group you just started attending? "

Tara had to laugh at Buffy's exuberance concerning her social life. The young Wiccan had had such a hard time dealing with her ex-girlfriend Veruca leaving after the whole werewolf incident with that boy Oz that Buffy had to kill. Tara had cried herself to sleep night after night, even shocking Buffy when she broke her Wiccan basic principles by casting an "I will" spell in order to stop feeling the pain. The fact that Tara, the sweetest, gentlest soul Buffy ever knew would go to that extreme, really woke the Slayer up and smell the proverbial coffee. From then on out, she put her casual dating of farm boy Riley on hold to focus solely on really being there for her best friend. If it hadn't been for Tara's help all these past years…well, Buffy didn't think she would be here to tell the tale.

"Ok, yes, I did meet someone. But-"

"Yes! I knew it!" Buffy shouted triumphantly, startling the Wiccan with an impulsive leap from her bed to Tara's, hugging her fiercely. "See? I told ya it would happen!" Pulling back, Buffy looked at her friend appraisingly, smiling big. "Okay, details. I want details."

Tara was gasping, a bit out of breath from such an enthusiastic Slayer hug. "Buffy, I will give you details later on it, but now-" Tara's tone became serious. " -there is something else I need to discuss with you. It has to do with something I sensed during my meditation."

Buffy's smile disappeared as her countenance slipped into Slayer mode. " What is it? Dark magicks?"

"No, no, not that. Just…" The Wiccan hesitated, trying to find the right way to express what she had felt. After a moment's pause, she continued. "I've never felt anything like it. It was… ancient magicks that were somehow…off."

"Off?" The Slayer was confused. Magicks were often beyond the Slayer's comprehension at the best of times. "Off how?"

Tara tried to put it into terms the Slayer would understand. "Well, you know how when I meditate I become very aware of the magicks nearby?" Buffy nodded. "As you know, the Hellmouth naturally lends itself to a great deal of magickal energy. When I meditate, I try to align myself to the natural white magick surrounding the area."

Here Buffy interrupted, incredulous. "Okay, you're trying to tell me there is "WHITE" magick here? There's a REASON this place is called a Hellmouth, you know."

Tara smiled. "Buffy, there is good and bad everywhere; it's just a part of nature. Yes, this area is full of a lot of Dark Magick, but there is still goodness here. Whenever I meditate, I try to tap into that 'good' or white magick. But, by the same token, white magick doesn't necessarily mean it's good. It depends on how that magick is used."

Buffy was beginning to feel the rise of impatience she got with Giles when he went into one of his Watcher rants while Tara continued. "There is a difference when I tap into the magick here from the magick energy I sensed tonight. It's so ancient, so unlike here. It …well…I know this may sound w-w-eird…" She trailed off, seemingly in embarrassment as she tried to hide her face in a curtain of her long blonde hair.

Buffy sought to ease her friend's anxieties, feeling concerned at Tara's stuttering making an appearance. 'God, how bad can it be?' "Tara, this is the Hellmouth we're talking about. Weird is its middle name. " Buffy paused, before amending, "Well, ONE middle name since I can really include other names like: dangerous, terrifying, gross, fangy…Okay, whatever, weird and Hellmouth go hand and hand, like the PB & J, but the PB & J are sooo much better."

Tara emerged from her cocoon, and half smiled. "Alright, well," Tara took a deep breath, smile disappearing, "the magick feels like it is not of this world, or, maybe, even this known universe."

Buffy's eyebrows rose into her hair. "Are you talking UFOs here with Area 51 green little E.T.s eating reese's pieces?"

"No. It's not from outer space. It's from another world, perhaps even another Time."

"Okay, so there's no mother ship overhead ready to colonize us. That's of the good. So…what, then, are you saying, Tara? Does this still mean that whatever is connected to these magicks is posing some sort of threat?"

"I don't think so, Buffy. Like I said before, this magick feels benevolent. But, I do feel you need to check it out. It's very strong right now. I haven't meditated in a couple of days, so I'm not sure how long these magicks have been around."

"So, you're saying that I should check this out NOW. Tonight."

"Yes, tonight." Tara stared at her friend intensely and emphasized her point. " It IS really important, Buffy."

"All right." The Slayer let out a long-suffering sigh, unhappy that her plans to snuggle up to Mr. Gordo while drifting blissfully into sleep were interrupted. Buffy rose from her cushiony bed, and tugged her jacket back on. Tara rose as well, heading to her closet to grab her own coat. The Slayer saw this, and balked.

"No, no, no. Tara, you are not coming out with me. It's too dangerous."

"Buffy, you need my help." Tara tried to reason with her friend. "This all deals with magicks, and brute force really won't help."

The Slayer gave in, grudgingly, while grabbing her weapons bag. "Fine, then. Get your witch-fu stuff together, and let's motor." //

Buffy was brought out of her thoughts as the young witch seized her arm, halting their progress through the dark woods lit only by the moonlight and a smattering of stars.

"Tara, what is it?"

Tara tilted her head as if listening to something Buffy couldn't hear, and closed her eyes. Suddenly, Tara's eyes flew open in realization. Leaning close to the Slayer, she murmured, "Buffy, I think it was a good ancient magic that dark magicks tried to penetrate, but were unsuccessful." The Wiccan pointed, still whispering as if afraid she would disturb the power of the magick that surrounded them. "The heart of the magicks is coming from straight ahead."

The Slayer nodded in acknowledgement, and protectively stepped in front of the Wiccan, gently pushing her friend behind her. "Tara, we still don't know what is out there, so I want you to stay behind me." Buffy's right hand reached over her shoulder to draw her sword from its sheath.

"All right." Tara was really not pleased, but knew better than to argue when Buffy got into full-on Slayer mode.

Buffy silently forged ahead. Tara was not quite so successful, stumbling on various broken branches or jutting rock. Buffy glanced at Tara in annoyance, and Tara just gave her a half apologetic smile in return. Eventually, they hit a small clearing surrounded by tall pine trees.

They stopped their trek on the edge of the clearing in awe. The area seemed to radiate power; the place was so alive and so heavy with it, it made it difficult to breathe. Tara, who had always been sensitive to any kind of magickal aura, could clearly make out the trace of the power residue. There was a very subtle low hum, as well as a nearly imperceptible sheen of mystical energy.

Buffy's Slayer emerged, as Buffy felt her primal side responding to this level of power. Her eyes flashing, Buffy's heightened senses came more into focus. "Stay here." It came out almost as a growl, but Tara seemed to understand it, for she simply nodded, standing still. The Slayer, confident that Tara was safe where she was, gripped her sword as she stealthily investigated the clearing. After completing a circle of the sight, the Slayer was satisfied, despite the leftover residue, that whatever had occurred was gone. If there had been a threat from Dark Magicks, that threat no longer existed. This concluded, Buffy reined the Slayer in a bit, but remained on alert.

Just as she turned back towards the young Wiccan, Buffy stopped in her tracks. She could feel a presence nearby…human, but something else in the mix as well. The Slayer reached out fully with her senses, searching for location of the presence. She cocked her head, listening. A faint sound filtered through the forest. Music. A flute of some kind. This was where the presence was.

The Slayer looked back at Tara, signaling her to join her. As the young Wiccan approached, the Slayer put her fingers to her lips in a gesture to be quiet. With Tara in tow, the Slayer took off through the woods towards the origin of the music.


	2. Discovery

**Chapter Two Discovery**

/// indicates flashbacks ///

...... indicates scene breaks........

Jenny Calendar pushed her papers away, too tired to try to decipher her students' answers to simple, basic questions.

Sighing, the high school computer teacher switched off her desk lamp, and headed down the small hallway to her bedroom. Flipping the light on, she made her way over to her dresser drawers, and withdrew a t-shirt and her PJ bottoms decorated with little witches hats. Jenny really didn't want to wear them, but the redheaded woman was guilty of that sin commonly known as putting off one's dirty laundry.

The decorative bottoms had been a gift from Rupert Giles during her last birthday in Sunnydale with him. When was that? Oh, yeah, a little over a year and a half ago. Had it really been that long? She shook her head at the thought.

Life on the Hellmouth had proven to be more than even she could handle. After that whole debacle with Angelus, her and Rupert's relationship had never been quite the same. The unconditional trust was no longer present; too often she encountered the stony wariness in his eyes and his features, as well as the subtle disapproval in his tone. Rupert would deny it, of course. He would continually re-iterate that he understood her need to withhold the information concerning Angeleus' curse, and that he had forgiven her. Nevertheless, Jenny could tell that the debacle was like an unseen weight bringing down their relationship by the amount of the guilt, hurt, and betrayal on both sides.

And, then, there was the case of his surrogate daughter. Rupert liked to hide behind his unemotional British persona, but Jenny knew the truth: he loved Buffy like his own, and she knew it nearly killed him to see the girl in so much pain.

Buffy herself had eventually given her forgiveness, but Jenny had had the feeling Buffy wasn't being entirely truthful. Buffy had many admirable qualities, but stubbornness was not one of them. And Buffy had this in spades. Getting her to let go of a grudge would often prove as difficult as extracting a tooth. Buffy would hide behind her protective walls, and sometimes Jenny felt like what you saw was not what you got.

Trying to dismiss the lingering pain brought to the surface through a pair of stupid pajamas, Jenny threw them on the unmade bed, and strode to the bathroom across the hall from her room. She flicked on the light switch, and dug out her toothpaste from the small drawer under the porcelain sink. The redheaded woman reached for her green toothbrush sitting in the leprechaun toothbrush holder; yet again, another gift from Rupert. Her tendency to leave the toothbrush anywhere, and everywhere to the point of not being able to find it, spurned him into action apparently. Their only Christmas together his neatness had driven him to giving her a plethora of gifts designed to re-organize and less clutter one's house, Hence, the holder; a coat rack for her frequently discarded jackets thrown on various pieces of furniture; a pen holder for the scattered pens strewn across her desk; and other assorted like minded gifts.

These memories brought a melancholy smile to her face. Still lost in lost in thought, Jenny squeezed on a dab of minty fresh toothpaste in an almost mechanical fashion, as her mind drifted from Rupert to the other great love of her life: Fionn.

And, naturally, thinking of Fionn only led her to thinking about little Willow. Why she had left without them both, she could no longer say for certain. Jenny had convinced herself at the time that the reason was for their safety. Despite knowing logically that it was the right thing to do, her heart cried out for her lifemate and child. However, as years passed, she had begun to give up hope that she would ever see them again. Finally, when Rupert came along, Jenny gave into the need for companionship and love. Even with Rupert, her mind never fully left her life in the Glen. On every single night during the past 18 years, Jenny's mind would replay the night she left.

/// Jenny could still feel the wet teardrops on her cheeks, the salty taste of them on her lips as she said her goodbyes to her lifemate and child.

Little Willow's tuft of red hair peeked out above the swaddling clothes. She kissed Willow's tiny head, the infant never stirring in her slumber. Jenny hugged Willow to her breast one last time before handing her infant daughter over to her father. As Fionn took the redheaded child, Jenny was surprised to see unheeded tears dropping down his pale cheeks, drifting down into his long almost white blonde hair.

"It is time." She heard the Elder speak next to her. Glancing over to the Elf whom gazed back solemnly, Jenny turned back and gave her lifemate one last lingering kiss. The redheaded woman touched his cheek, and whispered her love to him as Fionn murmured the same. She withdrew her palm from his cheek, and began the walk to the Portal. Just as she reached the opening, she heard him cry out, "Jenny, I'll find you again someday. I promise."

Jenny held herself from looking back, not wanting to see the two beings she loved more than life itself. Drawing herself up, she replied, "I know." And, with that, Jenny stepped through the Portal. ///

Emotion overwhelmed her, and, dropping her toothbrush in the sink, Jenny cradled her face in her hands, and cried the tears she had cried so many nights before.

..........

The lilting of the flute seemed to call to the Slayer, as she and Tara made their way deeper into the woods. Buffy estimated the distance to its origin was near. This led her to the presumption that it was coming from a small, partially hidden, clearing that she herself had visited many times. In fact, it was one of the Slayer's favorite spots to hide from the demands of her Calling, even the demands of her family and friends. She felt a sense of peace there. No one knew of its existence, and Buffy liked it that way. Not even Tara.

Unwilling as she was to show even Tara this place, Buffy was even more unwilling to leave Tara alone in the forest while she surveyed the situation.

She had been right; as they came upon the trees Buffy knew so well. Buffy raised her hand to signal the Wiccan to stop, and placed her fingers to her lips in a gesture of quiet. Tara nodded her understanding.

The Slayer peeked through the shrubs to see what had captured her attention, truly surprised by what she beheld.

.......

The redheaded Halfling had lulled herself into a state of peaceful bliss with Pan's lilting tune. Her eyes were closed, her legs crossed at the ankles in a relaxed position. But, her emerald eyes popped open as she sensed a presence nearby. Abruptly sitting upright and dropping the flute onto her lap, the Halfling scanned the area. But, it was strange. She should feel scared, or so she thought. Instead, she felt…excited? Goosebumps caressed her skin, and the Halfling knew that it had nothing to do with the cold.

Buffy had laid in wait, almost transfixed by the creature she saw lying on the grass playing the pleasant, gentle melody.

.......

The creature was beautiful. The moonlight shone on the creature, creating an almost ethereal glow surrounding it. The short, fiery red hair shined liked the finest ruby. The slender body was relaxed, but radiated a subtle power. Power not like Buffy's; an ancient power filled with magicks, but strength as well. The form fitting unique clothing also added to the creature's allure. Buffy was unable to tell the sex of the creature, but the soft features and an overall impression left her with the sense of femininity. The androgyny only led to the creature's attraction for Buffy; an attraction that Buffy had no wish to acknowledge, not even to herself.

The creature played her pipe with closed eyes. For some reason, Buffy found herself wanting very much to look into those eyes.

In the next moment, Buffy was amazed to discover that her wish had been granted.

The creature sat straight up, eyes wide open, looking about her. Sensing no danger, Buffy left her hiding place in the shrubs, and announced her presence.

.......

The redheaded Halfling's ears twitched, guiding her line of sight to the most beautiful female she had ever seen. The moonlight accented her long golden hair cascading around her face, while her small frame moved with warrior grace through the remaining thicket towards the Halfling. When the beautiful female emerged fully into the clearing, the Halfling's breath caught in her throat, and her voice refused to cooperate.

As the blonde female's slow approach drew to a halt about five feet away from her, the Halfling's keen emerald eyes stared into strong hazel eyes. The Halfling felt herself falling into the deep pools of the girl's eyes, causing the Halfling to draw in a sharp breath. As they studied each other, the Halfling caught a glimpse of the girl's enigmatic soul: tortured, and, yet, filled with love and laughter.

And that's when it happened.

It wasn't loud. It wasn't a thunderclap. It wasn't what the Halfling expected at all. It was like a soft caress, a whisper on the breeze. And, the beautiful girl's inaudible involuntary declaration of her innermost self shot straight to the Halfling's heart, straight to the Halfling's soul.

Then, she felt her own unexpected release of her own soul name. The Halfling watched as the beautiful girl gasped in wide-eyed shock as the Halfling's most sacred name entered her own soul.

As the beautiful blonde seemed about to speak, a rustle of shrubs and a call from behind the girl alerted the two to another female human. A mage, the Halfling realized. What if the mage sensed her for what she was? She had already inadvertently announced her existence to this girl in front of her. What had she done? She couldn't stay. No matter how much she longed to. Her father had warned her, and now…

As the beautiful girl stole a quick glance over her shoulder at the call, the Halfling took the opportunity she was afforded; the redheaded Halfling disappeared faster than the blink of an eye.

.......

"Buffy?"

The Slayer glanced behind her in response to the call of her name, before turning back around to the creature. The creature who was no longer there, nor were any of her belongings.

"Crap!" The Slayer muttered.

........

The Slayer had yet to speak upon exiting the forest, seemingly a million miles away… lost in thought.

Tara grew more and more concerned as time went on. After the Slayer's "encounter", Buffy had insisted upon investigating further into the forest. After nearly an hour, the tall blonde witch finally protested, hoping the Slayer would let it go, and leave. Buffy had finally relented, and they had left the deep forest to return to the dorm. Tara wondered exactly what had happened. The only thing Tara knew for sure was that Buffy had stumbled upon someone else in the clearing. Her friend was so tight lipped that Tara even had no clue whether that someone was a girl or a boy, or human, for that matter. The Wiccan tried to get more information from the Slayer, but she had refused to elaborate. So, here they were, walking in continued silence.

Finally, Tara couldn't stand it anymore, and decided to take an indirect route to get the Slayer to talk; Buffy's propensity to bottle up things, especially emotions, was legendary. "Right now, I think I'm in the mood for a warm chocolate-y beverage; one that can be found available at the Espresso Pump. So…" Tara gently nudged her friend. "What do you say? I'll buy." She offered.

The Slayer smiled rather sheepishly. "I'm sorry, Tara. Something happened out there…" Buffy shook her head. "I don't know…it was well…kind of x-filey, I guess…" She was quick to add, "But, in a good way. Just…" She hedged. "Well, it's just confusing." She shook her head, and relaxed slightly, "Maybe warm chocolate-y goodness is called for." Buffy genuinely smiled at Tara, and took her friends hand.

Tara, happy to see her friend more relaxed, replied, "Good. Lead the way."

...........

The Watcher was accustomed to being up this late; many a-night had research sessions run late, perhaps even entering the early morning hours. But, tonight, something didn't sit right with him. Buffy surely had finished patrolling by now, yet Giles could sense something lingering, almost like something she had missed. Somehow, the Watcher knew his Slayer was alright, and Giles briefly wondered if it was some sort of Slayer/Watcher bond, or, maybe what he didn't like to acknowledge: the bond of a parent.

Reaching for the phone, Giles dialed a familiar number. Try as he might, the old -fashioned Englishman could not figure out the infernal machine's use of speed dialing. Buffy laughed at this before asking in mock innocence, why the Watcher's Council didn't teach about the demon otherwise known as technology. To which Giles had remarked on her inability to drive that demon otherwise known as an automobile. Buffy had glared at him, but had remained silent on his phone usage ever since.

"Tara and Buffy are not here at the moment, as they are out hunting rabbits for Elmer Fudd. Please leave your wonderful and heartfelt message on this new Macy's answering machine."

Giles rolled his eyes at his Slayer's attempt at humor, while trying to scare Anya with the talk of bunnies in the process.

"Buffy, this is Giles. I'm sure you have finished your patrol already, but I'm wondering if you ran into anything unusual. Tonight, I felt…well…something that I am unable to explain at the moment. Please call me as soon as you get this message. I give you permission to call as late as you like. It's all right if you interrupt my sleep. Ahh, good night, then."

'Well, that message sounded idiotic. "I give you permission to call"? I'm sounding more and more like my father everyday.' Giles snorted in disgust with himself, but snapped out of it when he sensed that faint tingle of…magick. Yes, that was it. But…it was different. It was old. Ancient, perhaps. Where, and what, was it coming from? And why hadn't he noticed this sooner? Oh, that's right, Olivia. After the Gentleman, he had been too preoccupied with trying to salvage the damage done to their relationship by the introduction of the evil that the majority of the world was blissfully unaware of. The frightened woman had lost her innocence, and Giles had lost the first significant relationship since Jenny. The faint tingle had been most likely only the leftover residue of some larger significant event.

The Watcher began to reach for his coat hanging on the antique coat rack beside his door, before a fleeting thought halted his progress. Changing his mind, Giles went back to his phone to dial a number that he had never forgotten, but hadn't used in over a year. He only hoped that number, not to mention the person, hadn't changed.

**RING, RING**

Jenny fumbled in the dark as she reached for the desk lamp, nearly knocking over her statue of the goddess Brigid in the process.

Switching the lamp on, she peered at the alarm clock: 11:31 pm. Who could be calling at this hour on a week night? Not bothering to check caller ID, Jenny pushed the talk button.

"Hello?" she croaked in irritability.

"Hello, ah, Jenny, it's Rupert."

Jenny was suddenly wide-awake, and raised herself to a sitting position in bed. She felt unsure of how to react. They had parted ways courteously enough, saying they would keep in touch when Jenny decided to move to L.A. But, deep down, they both knew this wouldn't occur; their goodbyes as she packed up her belongings into her car was the last time she had really expected to ever talk to him again.

"Jenny? Are you there?"

Rupert's question brought her back to the present. Still feeling confused at his phone call, a fleeting thought flew into her mind that one of the kids was in trouble. This notion brought a wave of concern. Although the computer teacher had no contact with any of them anymore, she would always care about the scoobies on some level. But, Jenny was still leery, and the feeling came through in the tone of her answer.

"Uh, yes, Rupert, I'm here. Is something wrong?"

"Not wrong, exactly…" If he had heard the wariness in her voice, the Englishman gave no evidence of it. "I'm sorry to call at such a late hour, but there is something urgent that I need your help with." He sounded perplexed, if anything.

'The kids must be all right then,' she thought. But, then he paused, and Jenny was surprised to hear his voice taking on a different tone that she had tried very hard to forget. It was the same tone Rupert had used with her when he had found out she had hidden her tribal mission concerning Angeles and the curse. "I feel it's something that would qualify as your area of expertise."

Jenny caught the lingering resentment. "Rupert, just spit it out. I'll be able to give my answer if I know the details." She didn't mean to sound quite so mean, but his penchant for skirting around the situation was renowned. The redheaded woman used to find it quite charming, now it only served to aggravate her.

"Tonight, I felt the strong presence of ancient magicks. I have felt ancient magicks before, but this…this was different. It goes beyond the depth of my knowledge and experience." He left this to hang in the air.

Jenny cut to the chase in a clipped tone. "You think it has something to do with the Neverending Realm, don't you?" Her eyes strayed unconsciously to the end table next to her bed.

"I don't know for certain, but, yes, I think it has a connection with the Realm." She finally heard the tone where Rupert admitted the truth.

Jenny forced herself to keep her emotions in check, and wrenched her eyes away from the end table. Briefly, she put her forehead in her left hand, and then rubbed her brow. Raising her head, the redheaded woman mentally stepped back, and tried to approach the situation from a logical point of view. "How strong is the presence of the magicks?"

"It's not overwhelmingly strong." His tone became hesitant. "I think it was most likely released from its origin a few days ago."

Jenny tried to pinpoint him down; Rupert's evasiveness was driving her crazy. "Why do you think you didn't notice it when it was stronger?"

"Uh, I've been very distracted the last couple of days to notice much of anything." She ran a hand through her hair in frustration. Jenny could tell Rupert wasn't telling her the whole truth, but she decided to let it go for now.

"Has Buffy or Tara sensed anything?"

"If they have, they haven't mentioned it. If anyone would catch it, it would be Tara, and I feel certain she would have mentioned it."

"Yes, Tara is very magickally sensitive, and quite gifted," Jenny agreed. "Have you talked to them tonight? I'm assuming Buffy has finished patrolling by now."

"I called, but there was no answer. I left a message asking them to call me as soon as possible."

"I'm not sure if I can sense anything from this distance, but I'll meditate right now, and give it a shot." Two emotions warred within her at what she might discover: excitement and fear. If she was going to figure anything out, Jenny needed to keep these emotions at bay. "Are you going to be up for awhile? I can call you back after I'm done."

"Ah, erm, yes, I want to go through the texts- " Same old Rupert. Despite the situation, she almost smiled to herself at the thought."-and I'm hoping I'll hear from Buffy soon."

"Alright, I'll call you back as soon as possible."

"Excellent." He hesitated. "Well, actually, I also wanted to ask you if you would be available to come to Sunnydale tomorrow."

Jenny froze when she heard the request. Could she really do it? Could she really make herself go back to Sunnydale? But, if this really was connected to the Realm…Jenny chose to give a noncommittal answer. "Well, um, let me do my meditation first, and then I'll call you with the results before we make any decisions."

"Yes, well, that does seem to be the most prudent course." She could tell Rupert didn't care for her answer; he obviously had expected her to just drop everything, and just come to Sunnydale. Jenny felt a stab of annoyance again, but decided to concede a bit.

"Look, if I find anything at all substantial, I'll come by tomorrow. When I call you back tonight, we'll discuss it some more." Trying to keep her tone light, Jenny added, "Lucky for you, Rupert, tomorrow is Friday, and I only have one class in the morning".

"Well, then, I look forward to hearing your results, then." She could hear the palpable relief in his voice. "And, erm…,thank you, Jenny."

Grateful that he didn't elaborate the thank you, she simply took her leave. "Goodbye, Rupert. I'll call back soon. I promise."

"Alright, good night then."

Jenny hung up the phone, staring vacantly into space for a moment. Blinking her eyes, Jenny brought herself back to her painful reality. Turning to her right, Jenny stretched her arm out to open the drawer within the end table. Her hand finally found the small music box, inlaid with an intricate design representing mother earth on the silver top.

Laying the beautiful box on her lap, she caressed the lid before gently lifting it. The sweet soft swaying tune played while she found the treasure she was searching for: A small lock of red hair. Gathering the ringlet between her fingers, Jenny placed the box aside, and drew up her legs. The redheaded woman wrapped both arms around them, hugging her legs close in search of comfort. She rested her forehead on them, shutting her eyes. Clutched tightly in her grasp were the short tresses of her baby's red hair.

Jenny sat cross-legged on her bedroom rug amidst burning candles and incense, seeking a calm state of being. Her emotions were in tremendous flux right at the moment, leaving her unable to fully concentrate on performing the ritual. Finally, she felt settled down enough to cast a circle, and set about invoking the spirit of Gaia. Within moments, she had her answer. A sob broke free, and tears began to freely flow.

"Willow."


	3. Past, Present, and Future

**Chapter 3 Past, Present, and Future**

/// indicates flashbacks ///

...... indicates scene breaks......

Tara sipped the remains of her lukewarm mocha, eyeing her best friend with quiet concern.

Initially, Buffy had seemed open to talking upon arriving at the Espresso Pump. They had ordered their mochas, sliding into a corner booth. Immediately, the Slayer had retreated into a silent world of her own. This was nearly 30 minutes ago. Tara allowed the Slayer time to deal with the intensity of events that Tara still had little knowledge of. She knew her friend, however, and knew not to push the Slayer. If Tara pushed too hard, she would get nothing at all from Buffy. She had decided to gently coax the Slayer into at least confiding in her SOMETHING, not matter how small.

Finally, the Wiccan had had enough. "Buffy." Tara's softly spoken plea did not bring the Slayer from wherever she had gone for the last hour, so Tara cleared her throat. "Buffy! Look at me, please. "

The louder appeal seemed to drag the slayer from her thoughts, and Buffy regarded her friend in closed off emotional silence. Tara chose her words carefully. "Buffy, my only thought in bringing you here was to offer my support." Tara took a deep breath. "I would never dream of pushing you for information. Whatever you wish to tell me is fine, is enough." Feeling slightly hurt at the Slayer's silence, Tara murmured, "You are my best friend. My only concern is for your well being."

This seemed to finally stir the Slayer from her self imposed exile. "Look, Tare, I just…I thought I could talk about this, but…it's just too…" Buffy gave a slight apologetic smile and shrugged, returning her blank gaze to the far wall.

Tara gently covered the Slayer's hands, which were ripping her empty cup to shreds. "Buffy. We can go if you wish. From what I sensed and from what you said earlier, it sounded like there is nothing to be concerned about. That's right, isn't it?"

"No, no badness." Buffy took a deep breath, giving a slight smile. Looking down, the Slayer showing a sudden interest in the silver tabletop. Buffy ran a finger along an imaginary line, mumbling "When I reached the clearing, I saw a girl…no, that's not right…a female creature, I guess. I could sense that she was human, but part something else as well. She was beautiful…" Buffy trailed off, lost in the memory.

"And?" Tara softly prompted.

The Slayer shook her head, returning to the present. Buffy switched her gaze to her best friend in bemused reflection. "And, she was lying down by a tree playing that…Peter Pan…uh…flute thingy? I dunno what to call it. I figured since my spidey senses weren't being set off, I would just, ya know, say hi." The blonde squirmed in her seat, making the rubber seat cushion squeak in protest. Tara opened her mouth to speak, but Buffy continued. "I didn't get a chance to talk to her. She disappeared as soon as you came into the clearing." Buffy finished dismissively, shifting her gaze away from the perceptive witch.

Tara was silent for a moment, studying her friend. Something very personal had occurred out there, causing a glimmer of knowledge to form in the back of Tara's mind.

Resolutely, Tara rose from her seat, gathering the scattered remains of Buffy's paper coffee cup. She grasped her near empty cup as well, tossing both into the recycling bin. Tara returned, extracting the surprised tiny blonde from her seat.

"C'mon, Buffy. Let's go back to the dorms."

In order to confirm her suspicions, Tara decided to seek answers on her own. It was time for serious research mode tomorrow. As they left the pump, Tara couldn't help but wonder if she was right, as far reaching as her idea may seem.

This is the Hellmouth, after all.

........

The flickering candlelight and burning herbs spoke of meditation. Not a meditation to seek inner peace and enlightenment, but of knowledge of external events. A knowledge often hoped for in the past, but, in actuality, never expected to come to pass.

Jenny felt that the glass wall she had built, had been shattered into a million tiny pieces. She suddenly felt very naked, exposed; her emotions displayed for all to see.

How she had longed to see Willow again. The joy at the thought, and the fear as well. The paralyzing fear of rejection by the one she loved most in the world.

Jenny abruptly blew out the burning herbs, broke the circle, and gathered the ingredients. Standing, she began the familiar ritual of placing the objects into her small chest located at the foot of her bed. The comforting familiarity helped soothe her frazzled nerves, keep her grounded. Regardless, the woman's hands still shook as she closed the lid.

'First things first.' She decided, gently rubbing her sore, red-rimmed eyes. 'Goddess, how many times am I going to cry tonight?'

Jenny walked unsteadily to the bathroom, and washed her face clear of the tear tracks, purposely avoiding looking in the mirror. She couldn't stand to look at herself; guilt, shame, and self-loathing eclipsed anything else. Feeling more composed and refreshed, Jenny softly padded back into her bedroom, closing the door behind her.

The redheaded woman leaned back, rested her exhausted body against the cool of the wooden door. The need to just be, and to not think, was all she wished for at the moment. Her eyes had other ideas, however, as they seemed to wander of their own volition to the silver inlaid music box, lying wide open on her bed covers for all to see.

Jenny slowly pushed off the door, and gingerly sat on the bed, next to the small box. Her hand began to reach for the soft red lock of hair inside its velvet lining, but she abruptly pulled it back, as if she had been burned. Jenny closed the lid with a snap. Her mind began to drift as she stared unblinkingly at the silver top. Unaware, Jenny softly began to trace its intricate design with her fingertips.

Why was Willow here? What was Willow like? Jenny knew Willow was 18 earth years old. While Willow had born in the Glen, Jenny knew the date that would correspond to Willow's birthday in earth years: February 19th, 1981.

She knew Fionn was not here. She would have sensed her lifemate if he was. Oh Goddess, for him to send Willow alone through the Portal meant something was wrong, very wrong. Fionn would never take such a great risk with Willow, and a fear rose within her at the thought of her child in trouble.

Jenny's eyes strayed to the phone, torn. What on earth would she say to Rupert? He knew nothing of Willow and her existence. Should she something to him right away, and be subject to his disapproval and condemnation in keeping yet another secret from him?

What about Buffy and Tara? Surely, they had encountered the residue of the left over magicks from the Portal. Does that mean that they had encountered Willow as well? Jenny really didn't want Buffy to know about any of this. The redheaded woman knew she would face the same condemnation from Buffy, even though it was none of the Slayer's business. Whether Buffy wanted to admit it or not, she saw Giles as a father, and protected him as such.

Unable to make a decision regarding Rupert, Jenny knew she needed to get to Sunnydale as soon as possible. Her only comforting thought was that she had sensed no immediate threat to Willow.

Jenny abruptly rose, grabbing the first clothes she saw hanging in her closet. She dug out her small red and yellow duffle bag emblazoned with the words " Sunnydale High Razorbacks" on the side. The duffle bag may have been nearly two years old, but it was still in good condition. She hastily tossed it onto the bed, and began to shove the clothes inside the pack without care.

Jenny stole a cursory glance around the bedroom. Satisfied, she zipped up the bag, lifting it with a grunt.

She turned to leave, but stopped as she spotted the music box lying amongst her strewn bedclothes. Taking a deep breath, Jenny slowly reached over, and, gingerly picked it up.

Neglecting to turn off her house lights, the frazzled woman rushed out into the night, with a precious package cradled securely in her arms.

.........

Neither the soft bedroll, nor the twinkling stars brought any sense of tranquility to the Halfling. She lay on her back, using her hands as a pillow, and stared up at the night sky. Her emotions, her thoughts…everything…was consumed with the chance meeting with the beautiful girl warrior. No, not just a beautiful girl: her lifemate.

The Halfling broke out into a silly grin over this thought. What they had shared silently was so intimate; spoken words were an unwelcome intrusion.

A wonderful idea suddenly occurred to the Halfling. Sitting up, she reached to her left, and pulled her soft, durable pack onto her lap. The redheaded creature opened the drawstrings, and searched for her most treasured possession. The Halfling had never shown this to anyone; not Pan, not even her Father. When she had begun the second cycle of life, she had found her treasure. One day in the woods, the Halfling had been traveling along the creek trail when she had noticed a small object glittering through the ferns. She had gingerly walked over, and had carefully pulled apart the ferns, only to see a small blue marble. It had been so beautiful as she had held it in the palm of her hand. The marble had glistened in the sunlight peeking through the tree's branches, so incredibly soft and smooth as the Halfling had run her thumb across it. For some reason, she hadn't want to share this small treasure with anyone; she had wanted something that was just hers, and hers alone.

The Halfling had proceeded to take the blue marble home, and had hidden it in a sacred spot only she was aware of. The spot had changed over the years. Finally, the Halfling had decided that she always wanted to carry it with her, so she had put it in her soft pack she had received as a gift from her father at the Age of Maturity.

Now, she felt the urgency to find the marble. She wanted to give it to her lifemate as a token of her love. Impatient, the redheaded creature simply stuck her arm in the pack, not removing the other items in the bag. Searching deep inside her pack for the secret sewn in pocket, she broke into a smile as she located it. The Halfling's thin fingers nimbly opened the pocket, feeling the marble brush across her fingertips. She frowned as she came upon something else entirely: a small folded piece of parchment.

Slowly withdrawing the carefully wrapped parchment, the Halfling wondered who had discovered her secret place, feeling a flash of anger at the intruder. Her name was written upon the surface: in English. The Halfling recognized her father's writing, wondering why he wrote her name in English instead of Elfin. Her father had taught her the language from her mother's people in secret, beginning in the early half of her first cycle of life. She could read and write the language well. The Halfling realized her pronunciation might not be right, as she learned from her father who knew it only as a second language from her mother.

The Halfling studied the durable writing skin thoughtfully. She puzzled over the slight bulge in the rectangular shaped parchment. What was her father doing in her pack? Had he done this just before she had left? It had only been 5 rotations ago that the redheaded creature had taken the blue marble from her pack to look at it. Another flash of anger went through the Halfling at her father's intrusion. This spark of resentment, though, quickly dissipated at the knowledge that he would never do this without good reason.

All thoughts of her treasured blue marble forgotten, the Halfling gently opened up the parchment. It contained two letters, both sealed magically. One was addressed to her, and the other…the Halfling's eyes opened wide in surprise. The other was addressed to Jenny, presumably her mother. Releasing the magical hold on hers, she opened the parchment up, and read the letter.

My Daughter Willow,

I know you must be angry with me for invading your sacred place, but it was only done out of necessity and safety.

I beg your forgiveness, daughter, as I have not been completely honest with you. When I knew I had to send you through the portal, as you are aware of, I specifically asked the Elder to send you to the forest close to the human village known as Sunnydale.

I remember how enthralled you were as I told you the stories about your mother while she lived here in the Glen. I realized that you knew little of her life before the Glen. This was for your safety.

When I presented you fully into our Clan, it was apparent that you were a Halfling. Most had assumed that your mother was from the mountain pastures that were tended by the human shepherds. Yes, there were a few who were suspicious, but they never pursued questioning me, or the Elders on the matter.

When your mother was sent through the Portal, I made an oath to the High Council that no one be told of her origins. Consequences of the breaking of this oath were dire. As a result, I told you as little as possible. I did, however, break the oath to the extent that I told you when you reached the Age of Maturity that your mother came from another Time and another Place. Even telling you that amount was a great risk.

I loved your mother dearly. I still do, for she is my lifemate. But, she is also your mother. I am still unhappy with the decision that was made for you to grow up without her, but, at the time, the decision seemed to be the right one. Our first thoughts were for your safety, and everything we did was for that reason.

These explanations lead me to now. As you know, I have sent you through the Portal because of the Drow Clan seeking to cleanse all of the Halflings. There is another reason. There is an innate power lying hidden within you. When the new earth comes into being, your power will make itself known to you as well as to others. The Drow have discovered this, and are fearful that your power will be so great that you will be able to destroy them. Therefore, they have sought to destroy you before your power comes into being.

The Elders became aware of your innate power just as you reached the Age of Maturity. At first, it was thought that we would keep you hidden until your power came into being. But, as soon as the Drow became aware of this, it became clear that you needed to be sent some place safe until the powers manifested themselves. Thus, it was decided to send you through the Portal. Myself and one of the Elders are the only ones aware of where you were sent.

I sent you to Sunnydale for one reason: to find and seek protection from your mother. Your mother's earth home was Sunnydale, and when she left us through the Portal, she returned there. My hope is that she is still there, and you are able to find her, as soon as possible. I have enclosed a letter for you to give to her, and her alone. Enclosed is a lock of her hair that you can use in a locating spell. Do this spell ONLY at night. Only parents and their children are able to use this magick to find each other. If she is not in Sunnydale, you will still be able to find her.

Continue to do as you were told before you left. Talk to no one, and stay hidden in the forest. I am confident that once you find her, she will do as I ask.

I, and others from our Clan, will return through the Portal as soon as we are able. I am not sure when this will be. The Portal will most likely open up in the same place you arrived. Your mother has instructions on how to detect our arrival.

Your mother's full name is Jenny Calendar. Even without the locator spell, when you meet her, you will instantly know that she is your mother.

Take care my daughter, and I will see you as soon as I am able.

Father

A slight breeze rustled the parchment in the Halfling's lightly freckled hands, bringing Willow back from her daze, upon reading the letter from her father.

.........

Giles replaced the phone to its cradle, removing his spectacles to rub his creased brow. Talking to Buffy some days was an almost certain guarantee of a headache.

He knew Buffy was holding something back. He could always tell. He realized the Scoobies all considered him an old fuddy duddy and completely oblivious, but, after 3 years, he knew his Slayer well. This included her moods, and her emotional responses.

He had no doubt that she was telling some part of the truth; that she and Tara had investigated the disturbance. He also felt Buffy would tell him that if any danger was still present. But, he could tell there was more to the story. She had found something assuredly. Whatever it was, it was clear she didn't want him to know what it was.

Giles slumped back into his chair, exhausted. He wearily dropped his eyeglasses on to the desktop nearly filled with various texts. Since his conversation with Jenny over the phone, he had poured over his tomes, very curious as to what sort of answer they might deliver.

This had something to do with the Realms, he was certain of it. Had Jenny discovered anything through her meditation? It had been over 2 hours since he had last talked to her. Surely that was enough time to perform her meditation by now. Why hadn't she called him back?

Deciding a hot cup of Earl Grey was in order, he returned his spectacles to his face, and rose from his chair. Giles reached across to pick up his cooling teacup, knocking it to the floor in the process.

"Blast!"

Grabbing a dishrag, he kneeled down, and began to wipe up the liquid, fearing a spot on his rug. Dabbing around the table leg, his hand brushed across a small object. Giles reached around in curiosity, scooping it up. Leaning back on his haunches, his fingers began to thoughtfully play with the small shell in his hand.

/// It was a warm October evening. The couple had just finished an early romantic dinner at a fancy restaurant nearby their small rented bungalow. Deciding a walk would be in order, Giles and Jenny strolled hand in hand along the water's edge in the fading sunset.

Rupert experienced a strong feeling of contentment. There was a sense of rightness with this wonderful woman beside him. She accepted him for who he was. She teased yes, but she never pushed him to be something more than he was.

"What are thinking Rupert?" She cocked her head at him in amused curiosity.

"Ah, nothing really. I suppose just realizing what a lucky chap I am, having you here with me."

Jenny smirked. "Am I turning the stuffy tweed clad Englishman into a cheese ball?"

Rupert laughed. "Yes, I suppose that did come out rather overly sentimental."

Jenny halted their walk, and wrapped her arms around Rupert, smiling up at him. "That's all right. I happen to like cheese every once in awhile." She winked at him, laughingly running away from him as he tried to kiss her.

Rupert smiled as he watched her merrily twirl through the water's ebb, and looked down at his feet. The tide washed over them, sucking away the sand as the water withdrew.

Then he raised his head to gaze at the woman with fiery red hair that matched the flame in his heart, never wanting the night to end. ///

.........

The deep breathing indicated the young Wiccan was asleep, while the tiny blonde Slayer's eyes refused to close. Buffy's stare fixated on the all too familiar crack in the ceiling, as she idly wondered if maintenance was ever going to fix it after being constantly reminded of the problem.

Buffy hated reflection.

If she thought about tonight, that would make it real. And Buffy was too scared to make it real.

In her world, life was too short to reflect on anything at all. She knew there was no promise of the future for her, so why bother with thoughts of the past? The past only brought up pain and regret, while the future only brought sorrow over what she could never have.

She had to live in the now; all that existed for her was the present.

Buffy was action gal. While she would never subscribe to Faith's philosophy of "want, take, have", if the opportunity presented itself, she would take advantage. There would be no weighing of the pros and cons; just do.

Buffy's examination of the crack in the ceiling was interrupted by an incoherent mumble, prompting Buffy to turn her head to look at the dreaming Wiccan. Tara rolled over, facing away from the Slayer, for which Buffy was grateful.

Tired of ignoring the real reason for her lack of sleep, the Slayer stealthily crawled out of bed, put on some clothes, and quietly slipped out the door.

It was time to heed the call of her lifemate.

Her Willow.


	4. Acknowledgement and Acceptance

Disclaimer: See Chapter One

A/N: I did my best to cut back the generous helpings of sap I had originally wrote, but you will most likely still feel the urge to visit your dentist afterwards. ;) Enjoy!

~ indicates silent communication between Buffy and Willow ~

......... indicates scene break ........

"Galad" means "light", and "Mor" means "dark" in JRR Tolkien's Sindarin Elfish language.

**Chapter 4 Acknowledgement and Acceptance**

The garish neon sign of Penny's Diner glared out at Jenny so bright it made her eyes wince.

It was 2 in the morning, and although the place was a below par greasy spoon, UC Sunnydale students liked to frequent the place on their way back to the dorms after clubbing in L.A. It was an interesting mix of big burly truck drivers and college kids coexisting in the same spot.

Finally finding a place to park, Jenny turned off the engine, not moving for a moment. She steeled herself for the inevitable: calling Rupert. Jenny climbed out of the car and, spotting a payphone, made her way over to the rapidly becoming archaic instrument.

Lamenting the fact that she had left her cell at home in her haste, Jenny dropped the coins into the slot, one by one.

........

Generally, Giles was a low-key individual, leaving the emotional rolling coaster of Ripper behind with his youth. A Watcher needed emotional restraint to deal with any circumstances in regards to his Slayer. Demons, Prophecies, Apocalypes: each needed a cool head to face such obstacles.

Buffy had tested his emotional distance more than once during the past 3 years. Hell, she tested it the moment he met her. Buffy had dared him to prepare her for her loss of any semblance of life. She was to be denied any mainstays of youth, such as friends or a boyfriend. Family ties were to be sacrificed to do her duty as a good soldier in continuing the fight against evil. Buffy was given no choice in the manner. And, last, but not least, she had dared him to prepare her for a young inevitable death.

The arrival of the Scoobies tested his control once again. The Slayer should work alone, he had argued. Buffy fortunately had ignored him. Tara and Xander were the reason Buffy was still alive. Tara and Xander had also challenged his resolve and in some strange way they had all become a family. Giles, in his own stuffy repressed British Watchery way, was deeply fond of each of them; not that he would admit to that. Especially to Xander. But, he knew they were aware of his unspoken feelings and that was enough.

Jenny Calendar was the one that really broke through the walls he had built for himself. Giles was finally given permission to be just a man, and not a stalwart father figure. So, it was no surprise, that one phone call from Jenny had left him an emotional mess.

The ancient tomes and scrolls now lay abandoned. His faithful books had let him down. Giles held such high respect for them; the Watcher in him thinking the answers to any particular puzzle lay within its pages. The unflappable Watcher had finally succumbed to the sentimentality he so valiantly tried to repress.

Giles was wearing a hole in the carpet from the amount of pacing he was doing. As he did so, the many questions plaguing him throughout the night began to run rampant; hating himself for this, but unable to stop the flood of intense feelings. Like a mantra, the same questions replayed in his mind, always leading to the one thing he could never shake: the safety of the woman who still held his heart.

RING, RING

He nearly knocked the phone cradle over in his haste to answer. Fumbling with the phone, he finally managed to hit the talk button. "Yes, erm, hello?"

"Hello Rupert, it's Jenny." The anguish in her voice was so tangible he felt he could reach right through the phone wires to touch her.

"Jenny, um, I was wondering what was happening. I haven't heard from you, and I had begun to be concerned."

'Concerned is an understatement,' he thought wryly.

"I need you to meet me at Penny's Diner, right outside Sunnydale." Jenny hesitated. "You know the one, where we-"

Giles cut her off, not wanting to delve into memories anymore than necessary. "Yes, I remember where it is."

"Can you come meet me here? There are... some important…things…I need to tell you." A sharp inhale came through loud and clear. The normally down to earth woman, the logical computer teacher was missing, only to be replaced by a person he hadn't encountered since Angelus. The nervous, frightened woman who had finally revealed her darkest secret to him, knowing their relationship would never be the same. He wondered at what she was hiding now. But really, was it any of his business anymore?

Giles briefly pinched the bridge of his nose, attempting to control his emotions. "All right. I'll be there as soon as possible."

"Thank you, Rupert. Goodbye."

"Goodbye." He hung up the phone, wiping his brow. Grateful for the chance to actually do something, Giles swept up his keys, grabbed his coat, and headed out the door into the waiting night.

........

When the Halfling was very young, unbeknownst to her father, she would sometimes cry herself to sleep. She loved her father greatly, but there was always a sense of great loss in her life that left her wanting. And now she would be coming face to face with that yearning.

Willow was excited but full of trepidation as well. What if her mother did not wish to speak to her? Her father had spoken of her mother's kindness and love for the Halfling but what if that no longer existed? Willow knew that it had been eighteen earth years since her mother had last seen her and her father.

Since elves lived well into what humans would term as an average of 180 years old a time span of Willow's age was considered to be quite short. However, the loss of witnessing the growth of one's offspring during one's life cycle was viewed as a cause for extreme distress and sorrow. Willow wondered if her mother felt these emotions as well.

The Halfling had reread her father's letter twice. It seemed almost too much to take in. Willow had latent magickal power? She understood his reasoning for not telling her, but Willow experienced a small amount of hurt that he had not.

The Halfling blinked, her attention brought back from her stunned state, recalling her need to perform the spell to find her mother. The redheaded creature realized that there was no lock of hair contained within her letter in order to perform this incantation. Perhaps it had fallen?

The moonlight, so bright earlier, had dimmed due to the scattered clouds floating past the moon. Without the moonlight, Willow, despite her keen eyesight, needed help. With a flick of her wrist and a mumbled, "Galad" a small twinkling light appeared.

She searched her lap, her bedroll, and the grass surrounding her with no success. Her eyes strayed to her cloak cast off to the side. It seemed unlikely, but she made a thorough search of it just the same, wielding the expected nothing.

Willow bit her lip in thought. This was so unlike her father. If he said something would be there, it would. There was no doubt in Willow's mind to this truth. He was always thorough, especially on important matters. And this certainly was worthy of that sentiment.

The redheaded creature began to rummage through her satchel. Willow withdrew each item, gently laying them on her bedroll. Out came, among several other items, her one change of clothing, a small crossbow, a compact tough leather tube of arrows, her flute, miscellaneous tomes, a small kit of magickal herbs, elfin bread, and a dragon skin flask of a liquid called miruvor.

On the eve of Willow's journey she had slipped in a flask of the warm, invigorating cordial. It was only served on special celebrations, but Willow had enjoyed the taste so much that she had decided to secretly appropriate some for herself. Her 'rationale' for such an act had been the pretence of keeping herself warm on her journey. Truth be told, the drink was just too tasty to leave!

Willow's main source of nourishment was elfin bread, also known as lembas. One small bite of this bread was enough to last one for a full days travel, and, if used sparingly, can last one for months at a time. It gave one renewed strength for the journey. The bread needed to stay in its original leaf wrappings, however, to fully sustain its sustenance and to reap the benefits. Willow was appreciative of these qualities, and happily enjoyed the flavorful bread. It was thin, soft, with a browned outside and filled with a delicious cream. If one found a bit of honey to dip it in so much the better.

An Elfin knapsack, unlike human packs, was deceptively small. Although deeper and able to hold more things, the pack itself was always light. Elfin magick created this illusion. It was of great advantage whenever an elf went on a long journey. Traveling was made easier, not to mention any curiosity of strangers met along the way. Potential thieves were ignorant to the properties of the pack, and therefore dismissed the seemingly light, empty pack as of little value. Even if a potential thief focused their attention on the knapsack, elfin magick created a sense of compliancy to no longer entertain any notions of stealing the pack. The thief would simply return to their previous activity, ignoring the urge altogether.

Coming upon her blue marble, the Halfling nimbly gathered up the treasure, slipping it into the pocket sewn inside her breeches. Willow's eyes twinkled. Her gift to her lifemate was safely tucked away for when the beautiful girl warrior came for her.

A momentary feeling of shame washed over the Halfling at her sudden shielding from her lifemate. The appearance of the female mage had flustered The Halfling, prompting the instinctive reaction. Regardless, it was an act that was frowned upon by her clan in the Glen. Shielding was used only to protect oneself or one's loved ones from attack, and most certainly, not to used to block the presence of one lifemate to another. However, many of the younger elves had used the shield in playful time with their mate. The conservative King was against such a practice, but Queen Rhiannon privately encouraged such mischief, leading to what she thought was a part of the natural mating rituals-as long as it was all done in fun.

The Halfling frowned, a feeling of indecision filling her. She could feel that the mage was filled with white magic, that she was indeed a very good powerful mage. But her father's caution resonated in her ears. Her father's warning had been so great that she had felt frightened by it. She had never seen Fionn, the great warrior, so afraid than when he had sent her through the Portal. Just that very thought frightened the Halfling more than anything.

Yes, she thought with a firm nod of her head, she had done the right thing in performing the shielding. The Halfling knew enough about the mating ritual to know that she would soon see her lifemate as the pull of them being together would be too strong for the girl warrior to resist. The Halfling had felt it herself but was able to restrain herself from seeking the girl out, simply because she knew the girl would come to her. This time, the Halfling would not shield herself from her mate when the girl arrived.

This wistful reflection ceased as her careful examination of the scattered miscellanea yielded nothing. The Halfling let the bag fall to her side in defeat, abandoning her fruitless search throughout the empty pack. She simply stared at the barren sack and the strewn contents, wondering what she was going to do.

Willow shook her head to clear the haze and noticed the parchment lying beside her, forgotten in her quest for the elusive strand of hair. Sheepishly, the redheaded creature magickally sealed the note from her father. Such an act would have precipitated a scolding from her father for letting something so important lay astray.

Once Willow had magickally sealed her and her mother's letters within the larger piece of parchment, she placed it back into its hiding place. The Halfling then restored the items to her pack, purposely foregoing the flute lying by her side. Her task complete, she tightened the knapsack's drawstrings. Willow then instinctively planted her knapsack on one side of her bedroll, resting alongside her dragon skin flask of Elfin Spring water.

The Halfling brought her hand back, seeking out her flute. Her fingers caressed the smooth wood Pan had used to make the musical pipe, a small smile on her face. With a mumbled, "Mor", the redheaded creature stretched out on her bedroll, crossing her ankles, now only lit once again by the waning moonlight. Willow closed her eyes and placed the flute to her lips, playing a nameless tune.

The music brought comfort from the mystifying intense revelations. Willow let her conscious mind drift. Nothing existed for The Halfling except for the lilt of the melody washing over her, instilling a sense of peace and pleasant memories of her true home.

........

The Slayer knew where she was going, even if Buffy didn't. She traversed the forest with ease, stepping ever so lightly through the tree branches, rocks, and assorted shrubs. The Slayer cocked her head, as if to listen to an unheard melody. She smiled when she found the tune, and continued on her way.

........

Giles' citreon chugged its way into one of the diner's parking spaces. The Englishman turned off his engine, applying the parking break. Giles hesitated and steeled his resolve to maintain a dispassionate demeanor, despite the emotional scene he was sure would ensue. He leaned back and removed his spectacles, leaving them to dangle in his hand.

'Bloody hell, Rupert, get a grip on yourself, old man. She doesn't need some pathetic chap, sniveling over why she obviously had been hiding more things from him, just because…'

Giles ran a hand roughly over his face, irritated with himself. He drew a deep breath in an effort to regain his composure, and returned his glasses back to his face. The Englishman grasped the door handle, ready to leave the car when he caught a glimpse of a beautiful distraught redheaded woman in the diner front window at a booth. As Jenny slumped forward, her head held her hands, Giles felt his resolve crumbling at the sight.

"…just because, **mate**, you're still in love with her." He whispered to the empty car.

........

At last, the Slayer arrived at the same spot when she had first seen her mate. Her breath caught upon seeing the enchanting creature that was hers, and hers alone.

........

Jenny was so lost in the swirling thoughts of her conflicting emotions that the clearing of a throat couldn't cut through the haze.

She started at the touch of a hand on her shoulder, abruptly releasing her grip on her head. The redheaded woman glanced up to see a tall Englishman with salt and pepper hair, gazing at her with concern. For the first time that night, Jenny felt a wave of relief and safety wash over her.

Oh, how she missed him.

She sat up, smoothing her hair, placing some stray strands behind her ears. She motioned to the booth seat facing her. "Rupert. Please. Sit down."

The Englishman slid into the booth. He began to lean on the table when he abruptly pulled back as if burned, and reached for a napkin in the dispenser against the wall.

"Blast!"

Jenny hid her smile, as he accidently pulled out a large amount of napkins out of the overfull dispenser. Rupert wiped the table down with his array of napkins, trying unsuccessfully to put the wad smoothly off to the side, as it stubbornly refused to stay in the small ball. He switched his regard towards the distressed woman.

"Jenny-"

"What can I get you?" The bored bedraggled waitress asked in-between gum chews. She posed with one hand on her hip, an order pad in her other hand, and a pencil behind her ear.

Rupert gave the waitress a perfunctory glance. "A cup of Earl Grey, please."

The waitress just stared at him like he was from another planet.

Rupert rolled his eyes at her ignorance, with a mumbled, "Bloody Colonials." Louder, he answered, "A cup of whatever kind of hot tea you have will be fine."

She shrugged and ambled off.

Rupert shifted his attention fully towards Jenny, who fought the urge to squirm in her seat at the piercing of his gaze.

"There are things…" Her voice dropped, "things that I need to tell you about my time spent in the Neverending Realms. I haven't discussed them with you because I have considered them to be very personal." One hand unconsciously drifted down to clutch her oversized handbag. "But…considering the recent events…well, the situation is such, that I need to be reveal everything about my past to you."

A cup of tea with a generic tea bag, the string hanging on the side was placed in front of Rupert, who scrunched up his face in distaste. The coffee pot outstretched, the waitress asked Jenny, "More coffee?

Rupert placed his hand above Jenny's cup. "No, thank you. Just the check, please."

"Rupert-" Jenny started to protest.

The waitress raised an eyebrow in annoyance. She no doubt wondered why she had even bothered to bring him tea in the first place. "Do you want this tea in a to-go cup?"

"No, thank you. Just the bill if you would, please."

"Fine. I'll be right back." The waitress gave a slight roll of her eyes before turning on her heels, marching off.

"Rupert, what are you doing?" Was he not even going to listen to what she had to say? "Rupert, I need to tell you this."

He leaned in towards Jenny. "And you shall." Rupert's voice was low, but firm. "I don't believe it wise to continue this conversation in public, do you?" His eyes fixed into hers, as she returned his gaze in irritation.

Despite his earnest tone, Jenny was aware of the underlying caring. Secretly, she was grateful for it; it all seemed easier to let him take the wheel. If Jenny drove, she would send the proverbial car over the cliff.

Still, though, the exasperated woman couldn't help but wonder just where the hell Rupert expected to go to have this conversation. The car? The Sunnydale Arms Motel? Jenny clung onto her handbag. Their staring match came to an end as the waitress returned.

"Here ya go."

The waitress loudly smacked her gum as Rupert fished his wallet from his suit pocket. He leafed through it and handed her a five, telling her to keep the change from a $4.60 bill. The waitress looked disgruntled and abruptly turned, stomping away.

Rupert climbed out of the booth and raised an expectant eyebrow, extending his palm. Jenny hesitated, and then blew a wisp of hair from her face. "Fine."

Clenching her shoulder bag, her hand reached out for his.

........

The Slayer watched her lifemate through the clearing in the foliage, playing a lilting, at times wistful, tune on her panpipe.

Buffy was surprised her arrival went unnoticed. As Buffy had neared her destination, her lifemate's emotions had become clearer. It was almost like tuning in a radio station, the signal growing stronger with each passing step. Buffy sensed that her mate was troubled, despite the creature's drifting conscious thought.

A brief flicker of insecurity ran through the Slayer, and she wondered at the absurdity of it all. How did this creature hold such power over her; the overwhelming urge to climb out of bed in the middle of the night just to seek this creature? But, what frightened her most was how right it was, like it was always meant to be.

........

~I'm afraid~

Her mate's voice seemed to echo from everywhere and anywhere: left, right, front, back, inside her body, outside her body.

~You are safe~

Willow rose, and approached her mate slowly. The beautiful girl warrior was so skittish, seeming ready to bolt at a moment's notice. The Halfling stopped, a hand's breadth away from her lifemate.

~I have something for you~

Willow reached inside her pocket and withdrew her treasure. The Halfling held it in front of her, the smooth blue marble in the middle of her soft palm. Willow concentrated on putting all of her love into her offering. She shyly smiled upon seeing her mate's eyes widen in amazement as a blue glow spread forth from the marble.

~Here, take it. It's my gift to you…~ Willow paused, whispering aloud, "Buffy"

Willow experienced a bashful, pleasing sensation from the tiny blonde, flowing through their shared bond.

~Thank you~ Buffy gazed up into the Halfling's eyes with the softly spoken acknowledgement of her mate. "Willow."

Buffy's fingers reached out to tentatively touch it, jumping when the stone turned into a fairy. Willow grinned as she saw the fairy, for the first time realizing why she had been drawn to the marble and the significance the fairy brought to their union.

"Wha-What is it?"

"It is a fairy." Knowing that Buffy had no knowledge of the mating rituals in her world, she related, "When it appears in a gift between two mates, it is a symbol of the approval and acknowledgement from the goddess of the bond formed. We have the blessings of my world."

"Oh." Buffy swallowed. "Um, does this mean it's gonna follow us everywhere?"

"No, but she will always be near, protecting us, protecting our union. And," Willow blushed fiercely. "uh, children if we have them. "

"Children?" The Slayer balked. "Uh, I hate to break it to you, but, considering we are both girls, it will be kinda difficult to do that." Another thought crossed the Slayer's mind. "Um, you do have the whole female anatomy thing going on, right?"

Willow blinked, startled by the question. "I am half human, and elves have the same anatomy as humans. So that means I have the same as you…well, maybe not the same in truth since we are two different…um…girls...but I am a female, and you are a female, although both of us could be described as young women by your world-"

Buffy smiled in spite of everything, interrupting Willow's embarrassed rambling. "Do you do that often?"

Willow's face scrunched up in confusion. "What?"

"The babbling."

"Oh! Well, sometimes. It is harder to do in this language. Back in my world, my friend, Pan, would stop me by playing his pipe." Willow gave a sad smile, missing her dear friend. "It was always the same tune. He refused to teach me the tune, saying no one could use it. He teased me, saying it was his right as a nymph in dealing with an elf. Then he would giggle, and I would chase him through the pasture."

The Slayer grinned playfully at Willow, her distracted mind dismissing the strangeness of chasing a nymph in a meadow. "Well, I think it's cute."

A deep red flush covered Willow from the neck spreading up through her face, her eyes bashfully returning to match The Slayer's gaze.

Buffy abruptly broke their steady, warm regard. The feeling of being overwhelmed resurfaced, causing the blonde to sharply inhale. "Okay, so same girl parts," she exhaled, muttering to herself. The Slayer ran a hand through her blonde locks, her brain still stuck in neutral by the entire situation. She glanced at Willow, slightly shifting nervously on her feet. "So, well, that brings us back to the whole women thing and no sperm. Plus, um, we just did the together thing, and I am sooo not ready for children."

"Mates of the same sex are not unknown or unwelcome in the Neverending Realms." A slight blush returned. "And children come from all matings, through elfin magic."

"Oh." Buffy paused. Then her eyebrows shot up. "Even guys?"

"Male joining for children is somewhat different than ours."

"I bet." Buffy snorted. "So, we're clear on this right? Like no children right now?" Buffy sighed in exasperation, her unbelieving gaze aimed at the night sky above. "Oh God, I can't believe I'm even HAVING this conversation."

Her eyes suddenly went wide as her mind finally kicked into high gear, her head snapping back to stare incredulously at her mate.

"Wait! ELFIN MAGICK? Elves really are real? You mean to tell me that not only am I dating a girl, I'm also dating an elf?"

........

Without thought, Willow placed her palm over Buffy's heart, somehow knowing that it would soothe her mate. The Halfling's hand seemed to glow with a bright beautiful light, its warmth calming the Slayer's fears.

........

Buffy instinctively placed her own palm over her mate's heart, her own hand glowing with the warm light. A phantom hand, emerging from Willow's physical one, entered Buffy's body to touch her mate's soul and Willow felt the intimate touch returned.

A swirl of images and emotions permeated her being. She was experiencing everything that made up the life of her mate. While the images were too fast to discern faces, names and dates, Buffy could only sense the emotions involved in each: the emptiness of growing up without a mother; the happiness at the pride expressed from her father; the friendship of Pan; the fear at being sent to Sunnydale all alone; sadness over when she would see her father again; the confusion at her father's letter, and her mother in Sunnydale; fear that her mother wouldn't want to see her; joy that she would meet her; and finally the love and happiness she felt as she found her lifemate, Buffy.

Buffy was amazed at this connection. It was unlike anything she had ever experienced, even with Angel. The bond she had shared with Angel led her to believe that Angel was her soulmate. When things got tough, Buffy would shut others out. She had opened up to Angel during these times but throughout it all, she now realized, she had still held back, believing as the Slayer, ultimately she had face things alone Now, Buffy no longer felt alone. She finally allowed someone to truly see inside of her; to reveal herself. She was literally baring her soul to this creature.

Buffy's emotions connected to a series of blurring images as they spew forth from the Slayer: the disbelief and condescension she felt towards Merrick when she was first told she was the next slayer; the overwhelming guilt and shame in the role she played in Merrick's death; the love and happiness she feels for her friends Xander and Tara; her numbness from her death at the hands of the Master; the love for Angel, and the searing pain by his rejection after they had made love; the resolve and detachment needed to kill her ex-lover, turning into devastation as Angel's soul returned, and she had to send him to hell in order to save the world once again; and the deep hurt over the betrayal of her only father figure, nearly causing her and her mother's deaths all in the name of duty to the Council.

Unaware of the passage of time, they eventually released their link, each slowly withdrawing her hand from the other's chest. Buffy's hand slowly rose, and her fingers caressed Willow's cheek lovingly, speaking softly, "Willow."

The Halfling shyly smiled, reaching up to cover Buffy's hand in her own. While holding Buffy's gaze, she brought the fingers to her lips, sweetly kissing them.

Willow gently entwined their fingers, and brought the linked hands down to rest by their sides, not releasing their hold on each other.

The Halfling hesitantly lifted her free hand, brushing her thumb tenderly across Buffy's cheeks. The Slayer closed her eyes, feeling gentle kisses placed upon each eyelid. Willow's thumb moved to caress her lips with the barest of touches. Buffy opened her hazel eyes, staring in wonder at the tender gaze coming from emerald green.

Their faces inched closer and closer until Buffy could no longer count the numerous freckles on her mate's face. They unclasped their hands, and Buffy brought her hand up to touch the fiery red hair. It was so silky, so soft as she wove her hands through the strands. She felt the gesture returned as her lifemate thread her own fingers through the Slayer's blonde mane. Their mouth's met, in a sweet, languid kiss; her mate's lips tasting like strawberries and cream.

Buffy's tongue traced her mate's lips, with Willow willingly opening her mouth. As their tongues met Buffy swallowed her mate's cry, instantly returning a low groan of her own. The Slayer's arousal grew as she leaned in to deepen the kiss, grabbing her mate's waist firmly with one hand to pull her flush against her own. She strained to get as close as she possibly could, feeling Willow's hands wrap tightly around her own waist. Buffy reveled in the feel of her mate's soft, supple curves, their bodies now molded from hip to chest.

In the back of her mind, Buffy felt a sense of surprise at the realization that she didn't miss the hard body of a man. She used to love pressing up against the hard body of Angel, but this was different; wonderful, really. And with that knowledge, she physically let herself truly go, laying aside her protestations of heterosexuality with the knowledge that it really was okay to allow herself to enjoy both.

Buffy couldn't say for certain when it had occurred but there was a vague awareness that they were laying on top of each other, over a soft bedroll. One hand made its way inside her mate's shirt. Her hand brushed past smooth warm skin as it made its journey to her mate's breast. The moment Buffy cupped her mate's breast, a surge of heat and desire spread through her, and she was lost.


	5. Elves and Fairies

Disclaimer: All about Joss and parts from JM Barrie. I have no money so please don't sue what is done for fun.

A/N: Sorry it took so long! School's out now so I'm working on getting updates on all my stories on a more regular basis.

~telepathy between Buffy and Willow~

//Flashback//

** Elves and Fairies**

As Giles studied the vulnerable woman crossing his threshold, he fought the urge to take her into his arms, and protect her from the haunting of her past demons.

He softly closed the front door, seeing Jenny collapse into his armchair, clutching her shoulder bag. Giles fleetingly wondered if her intense grip resulted from something other than nervousness. He received his answer a moment later when Jenny withdrew a small silver box from the inside, gently placing it on her lap. The redheaded woman let the bag drop beside the chair, fixing her gaze down upon the small object. Seemingly not to remember Giles was there, Jenny began to softly hum a melody, her fingers lovingly tracing the design on the silver box.

Something tickled Giles' memory about that box. More often than not, the couple would spend the night at the Ex-Watcher's so he could be accessible to the Slayer and any possible emergencies. Jenny had accepted that; the chance of Giles using a cell phone equated to hell freezing over, not to mention Buffy's recalcitrance towards contacting Jenny in any way shape or form. Now as he observed Jenny's behavior, Giles' mind drifted to a memory of one of those rare overnight visits.

// Giles whistled a jaunty tune as he set about readying the room for a romantic evening.

Jenny had retreated to the bathroom to freshen up, and Giles had stolen the opportunity to retrieve a bottle of Merlot and two glasses, laying them on one of the two nightstands. The Englishman thereafter had set about lighting the scented candles arranged here and there. Once this was accomplished, Giles relaxed with a deep contented sigh on the red satin sheets; casually resting against the bed's backboard, waiting for his love to return.

His eyes lazily drifted to Jenny's nightstand, a small silver box capturing his attention. Surely this enchanting box was not merely some kitsch novelty item procured at a flea market. He pondered if it ensued through a recent acquisition or merely a family heirloom. His curiosity getting the best of him, Giles' hand outstretched for the box, feeling the irresistible urge to study the intricate design.

The moment his fingertips grazed the cold lid, he started at a shrill ring bursting forth from the neighboring phone. Jenny called out from the bathroom, asking Giles to answer the irritating device. Giles jabbed the talk button, only to be annoyed at an automated phone message declaring the impending need to recycle lest the world fall into a pit of plastic. With a "bloody hell", he ended the call, nearly slamming the phone onto its cradle. His fascination resumed towards the silver object, the lure too great to ignore, leaving him to entertain the absurd notion that some deep dark secret was hidden inside its depths. Not stopping to consider his invasion of her privacy in performing this action, Giles scooped up the box. For some strange reason, Giles longed to see if his seemingly irrational belief was true.

He was in the act of opening the lid, startled by a hand abruptly shutting the lid, nearly taking his fingers off in the process. His lover seized the object from his grasp. Jenny's face contorted in a deep red blush of anger and a chagrined Giles offered lame (although most certainly heartfelt) apologies. Silence then reigned as the redheaded woman carefully placed the silver box in her dresser drawer, telling the Englishman it was "none of his damned business" what lay inside. After several awkward moments, they sought to resume normalcy by discussing the inconsequential telephone call, the magic of the night lost. //

After the extremely uncomfortable experience, Giles felt it best to err on the side of caution by staying away from the topic in any future conversation. Jenny made no mention of the box again, nor did he see the box again upon his future stays over at her house. Soon, all thoughts of the music box lay all but forgotten in the wake of Angelus. And now, here she was in his home after a year and a half, cradling the same box as though it contained the most important and richest treasure in the world.

'Perhaps it does,' Giles mused.

Giles shook off his memory, becoming aware of the Sunnydale Razorbacks duffle bag he held in his hand. A fleeting thought crossed his mind as to why Jenny would use this bag, as she certainly had newer, better bags. Dismissing his musings, Giles traipsed to the stairwell, and gingerly laid Jenny's duffle bag down, almost as if he was too loud, the skittish woman would bolt like a frightened animal.

Giles approached her, settling on his couch as close to her as it was possible without actually touching her. Jenny avoided his eye contact, continuing to stare down at the box. The Englishman tentatively reached out his hand to touch hers, but abruptly recanted, uncertain of how welcome the gesture would be. Giles softly cleared his throat, and Jenny's hum drifted away. The woman raised sad eyes to catch his concerned gaze, only to suddenly break it.

Jenny slid a trembling hand through her red hair, blurting out, "I have a daughter, and she's in Sunnydale."

......

Sleep had not been forthcoming in light of Jenny's revelation and her compulsion to disclose the final skeleton in her closet.

Jenny was exhausted, yet unable to sleep after three hours of discussion; well, not so much discussion as opposed to baring her soul, confessing her sins to Rupert like he was a priest and had some method for exonerating her.

Wearily flopping her arm onto the unmade bed, the redheaded woman sighed heavily in the room showing signs of the coming day. A day forecast as a beautiful sunny Saturday; a day lending itself more into one peppered with black ominous clouds sprinkled with occasional rain.

Her eyes strayed fondly to the Sunnydale High duffle bag carefully set aside Giles' neat maple furnished dresser. She drew comfort from the slightly worn yet durable bag, the canvas growing softer with each use.

Jenny abruptly slid off the bed, traipsing over to the window. Last night she hadn't bothered to even close the drapes. Scratch that, a half hour ago, if you could actually constitute that as 'night'.

With the rise of the sun, faint rays shot off in different directions, highlighting various objects. One in particular catching the corner of Jenny's eye; its mother earth design on the silver lid became more and more visible.

She laughed derisively at the irony of it all.

A design representing everything she neglected, or, in her mind, threw away for what was what was perceived as the greater good. But held onto, tucked away as what? A reminder? A reminder of what she left behind? A remembrance of the love she left behind while a representation of her failings as a lover and a mother?

Jenny closed her eyes. She centered herself, blowing out a deep breath, and extended her senses. Jenny briefly felt a pang of guilt at reaching out to sense Willow's well being while magickally blocking her search. Through the parent/child bond, she sensed Willow still in no danger; in fact, Jenny thought wryly, she sensed a strong presence nearby Willow offering deep love and protection.

Her daughter had taken a mate last night, and unfortunately the strong presence radiated a familiar signature: the person whom, once she discovered the truth, would assuredly despise Jenny even more.

Jenny buried her face in her hands.

'Oh, goddess, Willow, what have you done?'

........

Buffy's senses tuned into her surroundings; she was pressed up against a warm body, her head resting on a chest measurably alive with a steady heartbeat. A sigh of relief instantly became a sharp inhale of arousal as a soft hand run and up down her lower back with a feathery touch.

She buried her face in the neck of her lover. 'No, Lifemate', she mentally corrected herself. The bond had strengthened during their lovemaking, if at all possible. The intensity had initially frightened the Slayer; her existence had been bared for her mate to see and incredibly she was now the most content she had ever felt in her frequent volatile young life.

A warm tendril of love spread forth, and Buffy related her own love through their connection. She raised her head to stare into sparkling emerald green eyes. A playful grin spread across a beautiful redheaded creature's face prompting Buffy to bashfully do the same.

"Good morning, Wills," Sensing her lover's bewilderment Buffy hastily added, " Oh! Um…I hope you don't mind me calling you that. It just sounded like a good nickname for you…not that I don't like your full name…I do and-"

Willow closed the few inches separating her from her Lifemate, placing a sweet quieting kiss on Buffy's lips. "It's alright. I like this new name. Pan had an affectionate name for me, but I was always Willow to my Father and my Elf Clan."

The Slayer settled herself lying beside her mate propped up by an elbow. Buffy, mindful of the covers hiding her partially naked torso, tugged a bit on the blanket, bringing it up securely.

The joining last night had not reached true consummation. Willow's inherent timidity and incredible innocence mixed with Buffy's rather turbulent sexual experiences left a sense of insecurities not so easily reconciled; not enough at least to fully make love upon their initial contact. Both inherently however knew the full joining would reach fruition in the very near future, the compulsion to fully mate inescapable.

"So what was Pan's name for you?"

Before the Halfling answered she mirrored the Slayer's pose, equally modest. Willow shyly smiled and looked down as her fingers caressed the Slayer's other arm resting on top of the bedroll until she reached her intended destination, her mate's small yet strong hands. Willow intertwined their digits and looked up to see Buffy's hazel eyes glowing, her emotions through the bond displaying love and serenity. "The name he gave me is not translatable to English; it's Elfin."

Buffy sniggered and playfully kicked Willow under the covers. "Oh, come on. There must be something that is close in English."

Willow blushed slightly and began to answer when she suddenly grew solemn as her actions the night before flashed in her mind.

.......

It was only a matter of time until Fionn jumped through the Portal.

Facing Willow would be hard enough; facing the man who for all intents and purposes was her soulmate, would be agonizing, and her emotions were all over the map. She loved Fionn; she always would, but her love for Rupert had never ceased to exist either. 'Is it possible to have more than soulmate?' She mused. Her love for Rupert occupied a separate and special place in her heart. She was in love with both, but somehow each love was different and distinct. It had been so long; could she really pick Fionn over Rupert?

........

A sharp knife of regret sliced through her in response to that fleeting consideration. Jenny wrapped her arms tightly across her chest, closing her eyes. For goddess' sakes, Fionn was the father of her child; her Lifemate with a bond she knew had never fully disappeared over the years, even during her time with Rupert. How could she even contemplate a decision; the decision was already made. And here she was seeking comfort and safety from the man she had once proclaimed her love only to throw her previous lifetime commitment to another in his face.

Jenny roughly rubbed her face before dropping her hands to expose her face to the bright sunlight only prompting her to cover her face once more.

.......

Buffy released their intertwined fingers, and caressed Willow's cheek. "What's wrong?" She whispered. While she could sense Willow's emotions, it appeared that unless they willed it, they could not hear each other's thoughts. At this moment, Buffy felt remorse radiating from the redhead, who sucked in a breath before returning her gaze to the Slayer.

......

Rather than answering verbally, Willow placed her palm against Buffy's cheek, a subtle glow emanating from her hand as she concentrated on sending the fears and indecision responsible for her shielding herself from her mate last night.

.......

Buffy overlay her palm over Willow's hand; the actions now completely understood. Buffy sent reassurance and love through their bond, emphasizing the non-necessity of any lingering guilt.

The soft glow melted away and Willow began to slide her hand away, only to be caught by Buffy's who gently kissed Willow's palm. The Slayer was silent for a moment as she held onto Willow's hand, stroking the back with her thumb. Instead of commenting on Willow's revelation, Buffy softly asked, "Is it alright if I read the letter from your father?"

The Halfling bit her lip, underscoring Willow's trepidation, and Buffy wondered for a moment if the request breached a confidence between her mate and her father. The Slayer sputtered in haste. "Hey, it's okay, if you don't wish to show me. No big." Which was a lie, the Slayer knew, and she was unable to stop the faintest flicker of hurt crossing her face.

The Halfling's mood quickly changed to one of decision and contrition. "No…I would like you to see." The redhead assured the Slayer. "It's just that…"

"I know," the Slayer cut her off. "It's all very intense. From what I've already sensed, this is huge…so much info at once would be overwhelming." The Slayer had a faraway look. "I thought my first Watcher Merrick was insane when he told me I was the Chosen One. Once I knew what that entailed…well…it was all so much. I mean, vampires? Demons? I wanted to tell someone so bad…and then when I shared it with my parents they put me in the loony bin." Willow's furrowed brow and quizzical expression led Buffy to amend her statement. "There is a place people are sent if they are viewed as not…um…who believe things in life are different from what is considered normal." Buffy shrugged.

Buffy drew a deep breath, sending as much love and reassurance as possible, "Look…I'm just saying that I understand your reluctance, but I would never betray your trust, and only wish to help."

Willow ducked her head, before raising her gaze. ~ I know. I trust you. ~

Willow swung over to retrieve her pack, exposing her back to the Slayer blushing as she did so. Rummaging in her rucksack, her fingers nimbly retrieved the parchment from its secret hiding compartment. Without closing the drawstrings, or moving her pack, she rolled over, letter in hand, to be greeted by a smirking Slayer, and the Halfling's blush matched the red of her hair as the Slayer radiated mischief brimming with sexual energy.

The Halfling flushed with pleasure; her body responding to the flirtatious spark caressing their link. Her mate shifted closer, hooked one leg to entwine the two lovers together. The Halfling breathed heavily, her body hyper aware of the Slayer's intimacy. The bottom of the Slayer's foot caressed the calf of Willow's leg, her hand sneaking under the blanket to cup Willow's breast, gently tweaking the nipples. Willow closed her eyes, her hand clutching the letter in one sweaty palm momentarily forgotten.

The Slayer's hand left her breast to grasp the redhead, flushing their bodies together. Willow's eyes flipped open to only close again as the Slayer passionately kissed her, urgently drawing Willow tight.

Buffy's mouth opened willingly, a groaned inaudibly into the melding of their lips her partially naked body fully on top of Willow. The kiss deepened with the Slayer slipping her thigh between the redhead's legs, and Willow's own thigh mimicking the Slayer's position and pressure.

~Oh god, Willow~

The Slayer forcibly grasped her mate's arms to lift them above her head, with the movement becoming heated and quicker when suddenly it stopped…

Willow's eyes blinked open at the interruption, and Buffy's sheepish expression as she released her thigh from the inside of Willow's leg, rolling over. "I'm sorry, Wills. That was evil of me."

"What?" A dazed Willow's arms slowly slid down. Buffy pointed to the parchment crumpled in Willow's hand.

"Oh!" Willow sat up, awkwardly covering herself as she did. "I need to release the magickal bond on the letter…" Willow muttered her release spell and passed it to a curious Buffy who only stared at it with trepidation.

"You really don't have to do this, you know." Buffy returned her gaze to Willow's eyes.

A small smile grew across the Halfling's face. "No, I want you to. I want you to understand. Please. Read it."

.......

Once again Buffy felt the sting of betrayal.

The Slayer knew the generalities of why Willow was here and her past but she was unprepared for the knowledge of just who abandoned Willow. Her first instinct had been to find and confront Jenny Calendar, showing her the true meaning of Slayer strength until a soft voice brought out of her red rage.

"What's wrong?" Buffy could sense the large amount of anxiety and confusion radiated through the shared link. Even without the Bond, Willow's wide eyes and tight grip on the blanket said it all.

Buffy shook her head, bringing her emotions in check. She sucked in a deep breath. "Look, I'm not sure…" At these words, the Slayer realized that she wasn't sure, but she had a good idea where to begin. Startling her mate, Buffy sat up, bra-clad breasts exposed, and hurriedly gathered her scattered clothes next to the bedroll. The Slayer threw on her shirt, and tossing the blanket covering the rest of her, she tugged her pants and socks on. Just as one foot began to slip into her boot, the worry in her mate's mind was growing to a fevered pitch.

It was this that curbed Buffy's haste. Foregoing her boots, she twisted her body to face her very scared mate. Willow sat up, hands clutching the blanket to her chest. Buffy immediately curled her fingers over one clutched hand holding onto the blanket for dear life gently applying a bit of Slayer strength to release the tight grip. Buffy intertwined their digits and her other hand caressed her mate's cheek in reassurance.

"Please just trust me to do this my way," Buffy begged. "I know this is a lot to ask, but…" Buffy dropped her hand from Willow's cheek, and ran her fingers through her hair, guilt and frustration being the major players despite her continued attempt to guard her emotions. "I need to block the link between us while I check on this."

"I don't understand. I thought you…I mean…we…we were together…and it wasn't full Joining…we were doing that later and-"

Buffy released their interlocked fingers and grabbed the Halfling's waist one handed, bringing Willow as close as possible kissing her deeply, lovingly, reinforcing their bond as the energy Buffy sent through was like liquid sunshine. Buffy broke the kiss only to rest her forehead against Willow's, the other continuing to caress the redhead's cheek, and the hurt and doubt faded away.

~You see? I love you. For the time in my life, I feel complete~

Willow's smile met Buffy's.

~I understand now~

"Good." The Slayer pulled back, groaning. "I so totally want to stay." Buffy smirked. "I know you can feel that, so don't even go there." She winked at Willow's blush that was threatening to become the same color as her red hair. "You are so tempting, my cute little elfin girl."

......

Willow's fears eased at the Slayer's reiteration of their bond.

She knew Buffy had been with others before (boyfriends, she called them), and that they ended (at times tragically) so she had thought that maybe Buffy was having trepidation about their Joining.

Buffy turned, and slipped on her boots while Willow grasped her shirt next to the bedroll. As Willow buttoned her shirt, her mate stood and stretched, providing Willow with a wonderful view of the Slayer's attributes. The Halfling grinned goofily at the thought that the Slayer was hers and had chosen her and her alone.

"What's that grin all about?" Buffy chuckled at Willow's shy shrug. Willow turned and snatched her pants lifting the blanket just far enough to modestly put them on with her back to the Slayer.

"Willow, what's going to happen to you while I'm gone?" Willow spun around, boot in hand at the somber tone.

"Where will you be?"

.......

"Hey, Tinker Bell get out of my hair!"

Buffy batted unsuccessfully at the small greenish creature zipping around the Slayer's body, in-between the slayer's legs, and playfully tugging on the Slayer's hair. It was zooming so fast and zigzagging making it impossible for even a slayer's reflexes to capture, but Buffy wasn't the best slayer for nothing and caught the mischievous creature. Holding the body between her fingers the translucent wings twitched off and on. The oddly dressed creature scowled at Buffy in consternation and shook her tiny fist at the slayer.

She had a childlike beauty, and a sense of femininity despite the androgyny. 'Are they all like that in Willow's home world?' the Slayer mused distractedly before her eyes zeroed on a crooked green Peter Panish type hat with the smallest feather Buffy had ever seen sticking out. How that thing stayed on the creature's head without falling off during the creature's zooming was beyond the slayer's comprehension. Despite the hat, Buffy could see organgish hair that looked like a hair coloring experiment gone wrong. Haphazardly cut with wisps sticking out at ends, Buffy wondered momentarily what she would find if she took off the creature's hat. The garment was a type of sleeveless dress in mismatched patterns of colors and designs cut like a child who had taken a piece of scissors to a fabric making a valiant attempt at cutting a perfect pattern but instead creating something with jagged edges completely unusable. But somehow this creature made it utterly adorable.

Buffy suspiciously eyed the creature while Willow covered her mouth in an attempt to mute her laughter but the keen hearing of the slayer heard it anyways. Never taking off the creature Buffy said, "So not funny Wills."

"It's just the fairy from the ball I gave you last night. Remember? It is a signal that the goddess and gods look down upon our union with favor."

Buffy scowled for a moment then said to the creature, "Okay, little Miss Tinker Bell you're an annoying little thing that will fly around punching people in the head protecting Wills. Right?"

The creature simply nipped at the Slayer's causing Buffy to suddenly release it and draw back rubbing her hand. "Hey! That hurt!" The Slayer pouted. "I thought fairies were supposed to be all with the twinkling and the spreading of fairy dust and ringing little bells lighting the way to Neverland."

Willow made some sort of cooing noise and the fairy drifted onto her palm flopping down as if exhausted from her little flight. Willow grinned. Buffy could swear the creature's grin wore an uncanny resemblance to her mate's own grin.

"She will be near me while you gone." Willow's eyes twinkled. "But I have my own way of taking care of myself. Willow cooed to the creature who zoomed out of Willow's hand to fly above their heads.

And then Buffy's eyes threatened to pop out of their sockets.

Standing on four paws directly in front of her was a red wolf: a red wolf who used to be her Lifemate.

And then the mighty slayer, who had faced and defeated many a Big Bad, fainted.

The red wolf morphed back into the Halfling, crouched down on all fours. She leapt to her feet to rush over to her mate. Placing her hand on Buffy's forehead, a warm glow infused and the Slayer's color returned as she awoke.

Buffy scooted up, giving a slight shake of her head. "Okay, I am officially on overload here. Tinker Bells zooming around and my cute little elfin girl turning into a red wolf?"

Willow smiled sheepishly. "Guess I should have warned you about my shifting into wolf form."

"Ya think?" At the sarcastic remark, Willow hung her head. A soft hand lifted Willow's head, and Buffy kissed her mate's cheek. "Don't worry I'm not mad." The slayer wryly smiled. "It's kind of a lot to take in all at once and God knows I'm not much of a morning person." Buffy rose, dusting off her pants. "I need a mocha."

Willow was still worried. Buffy encircled her arms around the Halfling. "I can feel your worry." Buffy hugged her mate and Willow, feeling good and safe inside the slayer's embrace, laid her head on the Slayer's shoulder.

Buffy kissed the top of her mate's fiery red hair and Willow drew back, pouting slightly at the loss of comfort. "Back to serious type stuff, I'll see you tonight and-" Buffy looked sheepish, glancing away briefly. "I'll pull down the shield as soon as I can, 'kay?"

Willow nodded. Whatever the slayer had planned Willow felt trust in her.

Buffy sighed deeply. "I don't know what time I'll be back. I can call through the Bond when I get close, right?"

"Anytime you drop the shield you can call me through the Bond from anywhere."

Suddenly the fairy dropped on top of Willow's head standing legs spread out, arms crossed, and chin jutting out, the orange eyes glowing fiercely all in a gesture of fierce determination that Buffy took as a sign of willing to protect Willow at all costs.

Buffy smiled and dropped one more kiss onto her mate's lips. "When I get back we can talk about my cute little elf as a red wolf." Buffy rolled her eyes and talking more to herself than Willow. "Now that's that a statement you don't hear everyday."

Buffy shook her head as if to clear anymore tangled cobwebs still existing in her much-befuddled mind. "Love ya, Wills. See ya later, Tinker Bell." Buffy began her walk from the clearing.

"Love you too," Willow called. And with a whispered few words and a toss of the hand, Willow's bedroll and pack disappeared.

With one last wave Buffy melted into the forest leaving behind a zooming fairy and a red wolf.


	6. Natural Instincts

Disclaimer: All about Joss

A/N: This chapter is shorter than others. From now on, I plan to post somewhat shorter chapters for two reasons: 1) It will hopefully bring updates to you guys faster and 2) It will be easier on me. I'm not the fastest writer and if a chapter needs extra research, then it will go even slower. I like the Buffy/Tara dynamic of best friends as Buffy needs someone to even out her emotions. After all, we all know Buffy never deals with emotions well. She is generally an emotional coward. So this discussion between them will be fairly long and continued into next chapter. Enjoy!

Scene break: ...

**Chapter 6 Natural Instincts**

The Halfling treasured the morning chill coming off the stream just a short distance beyond the thin foliage.

From her first day forward in this Time and Place Willow had spent shape-shifted into a wolf, and had hidden in deeper brush, walking through the forest, surveying the area. Before each night fell, the young Halfling would frolic around the lake in her wolf state, enjoying the sun. No other wolves existed in that part of the forest, as it was still too close to the city to risk the pack.

The Halfling had chosen this animal as its physical body made it strong and able to deal with the forest. Her sense of smell was keen, her powerful muscles enabled her to traverse rugged terrains, and, in this from, Willow was able to maintain the higher level of intelligence this animal provided as well as her keen eyesight. This body, however, presented a strong urge to hunt and kill smaller animals. In order to sustenance for this body, she searched for animals recently dead from either accidents or other carnivores, or fruits and berries. And as long as Willow had a bite of her elfin bread within the past few days, she was able to control the predator instinct.

She had encountered different creatures along the way, some similar to the animals from her own world. Willow had been unable to communicate, as she had been able to with the animals in the Neverending Realm. There was not enough magick present, and their intelligence level was primitive at best. However, she was able to communicate on a basic, primal level, able to relay her needs and emotions. The Halfling had been able to discern from the animals that her appearance as a wolf held physical differences from the earth's wolf, and she had had to shift her appearance accordingly.

The impressions lent by the animals had relayed the sense of few humans visiting this far into the forest. The animals had conveyed a sense of frightening dead human monsters closer to the city, never visiting the forest. The animals had stayed away from that area because of this.

There was a protector of all that was good the animals were in awe of, who would sometimes visit the Halfling's clearing. They had sensed powerful magicks from her, and knew she was a noble woman. At times, a few had even ventured to say hi to her from a distance, but she would be so lost in thought as to not notice the animals. She was found to generally be sad, and the animals felt bad for her that such a noble woman could feel this way.

As Willow played in the sunshine and her protective fairy zoomed about, in the Halfling's heart was the urge to keep this protector, this worthy warrior, happy for the rest of her life.

...

Buffy was at a crossroads.

'Should I stay or should I go?' Rang through her head. What song was that from again? Oh well it didn't matter. What mattered was if Buffy stayed on her original course to Giles' or whether she should stop at the dorm for a super quick shower.

That meant possibly running into Tara. The perceptive Wiccan would most certainly sense a significant change in the Slayer's aura, especially the presence of the ancient magicks experienced only last night.

On the flip side of the coin, heading to Giles' in this state would only lead to the Slayer making an appearance: Buffy would be unable to gain any control over the primal beast within, only interested in seeking retribution of the slight against her Mate.

So however fast and however much she wanted to kick in Giles' door, Buffy, albeit grudgingly, needed to leave 'want, take, have' at the door. The blonde Slayer needed the one she could always count on to steer her in the right direction.

The path set, Buffy ran towards the dorms.

...

It was just a door.

A generic dorm door.

Why did it suddenly seem so ominous?

Buffy stood in front of it for ten minutes, debating the pros and cons of going in or fleeing like the chicken she had suddenly become. In the end, she opted to simply staring at the doorknob blankly.

This fixed stare was interrupted by a concerned voice on her right side. "Um, are you okay?"

"What?" With a quick shake of head to clear her stupor, Buffy shifted her regard to see a robe clad girl clutching her caddy, bath towel draped over her shoulder, obviously on track for the shower.

"Uh, you just looked kind of out of it." A sheepish expression appeared on the girl's face. "I just assumed this is your room; I see you come and go out of it all the time so I was wondering if you'd forgotten your key?"

"I was just trying to decide if I should go in or not. You know, if my roommate-" she thumbed a gesture towards the door "is asleep or not. She's really, really tired from finals, and, umm, I'd hate to wake her… you know, if she is asleep and all..." Buffy shrugged nonchalantly, hoping the girl didn't question her rather lame explanation and her bordering on incomprehensive babble.

The girl stared at her with an odd look that Buffy couldn't interpret, so the Slayer's lame excuse only became lamer as she tried to clarify her rambling. "She's, um, a very light sleep…and I'm not the most quiet person, so…"

" Okay…I just wanted to check." The girl smiled wanly. "My roommate is a light sleeper too, and a real night owl. Me…" She held up her caddy "I'm an early bird, as you can tell."

Smiling tightly at the still unmoving girl, Buffy just dug her keys from her pocket, making up her mind to go in if for no other reason than to not look anymore ridiculous than she already did.

"Thanks." Buffy slid the key in the lock, gently unlocking the door. "See ya later." The tiny Slayer sent a little wave to hopefully prompt the girl into leaving her alone.

The girl, seemingly mollified, replied with a smile, and finally left to complete her morning shower ritual. "No problem. See ya."

"Yeah…um…see ya, too." Buffy rolled her eyes. How can some of these students be so oblivious to the vampires eager to capture their happy meal with legs while paying such attention to a fellow student simply debating on whether to enter to their own room?

Buffy quietly opened the door, tiptoeing through, and closed the door in an equally soft manner. Buffy turned around to see the sleeping Wiccan, doubt returning.

Feeling the urge to escape, Buffy stripped down to her underwear, throwing on her robe. Snatching her caddy and a towel, she slipped out, wondering if she would ever have the courage and wisdom to deal with her emotions rationally.

...

Tara was having an extremely enjoyable dream right now.

She and her latest crush Rose from Wicca group were in a lip lock, just on the verge of something more, when real life otherwise known as the Slayer intruded.

Opening her bleary eyes, Tara spotted Buffy, hair still wet from her shower. A glance told Tara that the Slayer's unmade bed had various clothes tossed about, with the tiny Slayer sitting at the foot, hurriedly sliding on her black boots.

Extracting herself from the warmth and comfort enveloped in sheet, blanket, and the quilt her mother had woven for her, Tara softly spoke. "Buffy?"

The Slayer, dressed in her usual garb of black leathers and blue spaghetti strapped top, turned her face, hazel eyes wide, with a look that screamed, "Oh, Oh! I'm in trouble now!" as if she was a child caught sneaking cookies from the proverbial cookie jar.

"Tara! Hey, didn't mean to wake you, I just needed…a quick shower because um…I …uh…need to patrol. Yeah, that's it, I need to patrol!"

Tara's eyebrow rose, as she slowly rose up to lean against the backboard. Rubbing the still sleep encrusted eyes, she glanced at the clock: 7:17a.m, and there was no mistaking the bright sunlight streaking through the blinds. "Patrol? What are you talking about? It's morning."

Standing unsteadily on her feet, Buffy plastered on a too wide fake smile," Well, you can never be too careful, right? Vampires and demons do know different ways to hide from sunlight, ya know?"

Tara, fully awake now, watched her best friend suddenly determinedly swivel to snatch her black leather coat draped in indiscriminate fashion on the desk chair. Buffy walked the two feet to her closet, roughly dragging her weapon's bag from its depths.

"Buffy, what's going on?" The concerned Wiccan pushed off her covers to a sitting position her feet dangling off the side of her bed. Staring at the small blonde Slayer. Tara caught the glimpse of a kneeling Buffy, Mr. Pointy in hand, forcing the bag back into the confines of the closet. Rising, Buffy snatched her jacket, throwing it on. The Slayer stuffed her favorite stake into the coat's inside pocket in an exaggerated manner. The overemphasized actions under the guise of preparing for patrol was nothing more than a ruse intended to fool the Wiccan.

Buffy paused at the door, hand resting on the doorknob, and ran a shaky hand through her golden locks. Eyes glued to the door, she conceded, "Have you ever had something happen that was so wonderful, so scary, so magkical, and so confusing…well…" The tiny blonde hung her head down, mumbling, "I wish I could explain it better."

At Buffy's jumbled disclosure, Tara opened herself up to scan the Slayer's aura. A kaleidoscope of colors burst forth, ancient magicks mixed in; the same magicks sensed last night causing the Wiccan to gasp.

Buffy's head jerked up at Tara's surprised exclamation, her hand releasing its hold of the doorknob.

The Slayer's natural instinct to flee was once again tempered by her best friend. And as always the expression greeting her showed concern and support, along with the patience in letting the slayer divulge the information at her own rate.

The emotional coward now stared at her emotional savior and sighed in relief, the burden now no longer the tiny Slayer's own, the guidance she needed was at hand.

...

Peeling away the layer of blankets, Tara set herself into a lotus position, her full attention on her best friend.

Tara never ceased to be astounded at the significant role she played within the Scooby circle. True, her natural affinity with magicks was a great help as well as her research abilities, but Tara had often felt the most useful for the emotional support and strength she provided. The Wiccan was able to read people, lending an ear knowing when to push or pull back or just simply being a sounding board for frustrations and fears, especially for Buffy.

And now she hoped the silent communication sent to the skittish slayer signaled the solace Tara could provide.

...

The Wiccan did an internal cheer as she heard a sigh of noticeable relief. Buffy's expression softening slightly; the Slayer had understood Tara's unspoken message of support.

Buffy crossed the room to sit on the edge of her bed, facing the Wiccan. The tiny blonde's legs dangled, feet kicking ever so slightly, her hands rubbed her leather clad thighs in a gesture of a small amount of lingering anxiety.

Tara patted the bed, hoping to completely calm the slayer in the remembered friendship intimacy. The previous times shared discussing the usual ups and downs of adolescence; latest crushes, parental troubles, clothes, classes, annoying teachers, cruel students, ridiculous principals, and the laughter and love of good friends.

And the struggle and burden of being the Chosen One.

Buffy half-grinned at the invitation, the Slayer's memories surfacing upon its implications. Buffy slipped off her boots, covering the small distance to settle onto Tara's cushy bed, mirroring the Wiccan's position.

"Okay, now that I've got you a bit more relaxed, it's time for, in 'Buffyspeak', best-y friend duties, so I demand full spillage!" Tara enthused.

"Last night…actually after we went to bed…" The Slayer dropped her head to watch her finger trace a repetitive figure eight on the patchwork quilt. "I had a well…an urge to go back to the forest…to see the girl creature we had seen earlier."

As Buffy spoke, the wide range of colors still swirled surrounding the slayer, but they had calmed. Tara was amazed at the beauty. Buffy's aura had always had its own unique signature, the power and constant darkness blending with the innocence of a simple human girl, but this was so much more intense and she wondered if what Buffy was about to relay to her would confirm her suspicions.

Buffy's next words were so mumbled; Tara had great difficulty catching the just. "There's something I didn't tell you…everything…at the Espresso Pump." Buffy paused, her fingers halting in their curvature, head flipping up an expression of contrition. "Tara, I'm so sorry I didn't say anything. I mean, you're my best friend…we've always-"

Gently squeezing her best friend's knee, Tara interrupted the earnest penitence. "Buffy, its okay. We've been friends for four years. Don't you think I know how you react to things by now?"

Instead of answering Buffy sucked in a deep breath, firing off her information in rapid assault. "I am now mated to a half human half elf girl who jumped through the portal sent by her father; bad elves are after her; she needs to find her mother for protection who just happened to be Jenny Calendar so I had to break communication through our bond while I go threaten Giles to tell me where Jenny Calendar is so I can kick her ass."

Tara's eyes widened, a little taken aback at the particulars, much less how someone could actually deliver all of that in one breath. "Um, that's a bit more than I expected."

Composure returning, Buffy shook her head, dryly stating, "This is the Hellmouth. There are no surprises."

"Well, yes, that's true." Tara softly smiled, knowing the effort in Buffy divulging that much. "Sounds like a lot to deal with. I could ask how you are doing in coping but I think I already know, considering the state of the room" Tara eyes traversed the Slayer's bedlam" -and your hurry to leave." Tara's sweeping perusal came to rest on eyes filled with emotional confusion.

The air was too rife with tension, so Tara reached out to comfort the tiny Slayer.

...

Tara's touch soothed the Slayer, but Buffy frowned as a sudden thought crept into her already clouded brain.

"Wait a minute." Buffy eyed her friend. '"More than you expected'?" She enunciated slowly.

Tara blushed a little self-consciously. "I did have some ideas based on what you had already told me, Buffy, and… by what I had sensed."

"And you didn't say anything because?" Why had her best friend held out on her? The Slayer experienced a sudden flash of agitation.

"B-Buffy! This only happened last night. I w-w-wanted to do some research first to confirm any ideas." Tara reminded. "I didn't want to p-p-pressure you to tell me more than you were ready f-for."

A wave of guilt swept over the Slayer upon causing her best friend's stutter to surface. "Oh. Well, I get that." Buffy sheepishly squeezed Tara's hand." My total bad." She declared, emphasizing her remorse. The last nine hours had been a hell of a ride and the slayer had no idea if she was coming or going. No excuse she knew but she knew her best friend would understand.

Tucking a lock of blonde hair behind her ear, Tara softly smiled." It's alright."

Buffy cleared her throat, for some reason feeling nervous. "So, um, what were you guessing?"


End file.
